Hanakotoba, Poker Faces, and Disorder
by CrescentMoonTenshi
Summary: Ran decides to leave her past with Shinichi behind and date other people, leaving Conan depressed. His saviour is a certain Magician of the Moonlight in the same boat, but if Conan is able to see the Red Strings of Fate, things change drastically. After all, those fated to be together are tied. What happens when your fated partner is the Kaitou KID? A rollercoaster. KaiShin.
1. First Love

** This is the rewrite of The Language of Flowers and Poker Faces! Those of you who are new, it's nice to meet you, I'm Crescent T.! Everyone just calls me Crescent, or Cres-chan, and things like that though.**

** So...I guess an apology is in order. *does deep dogeza on the floor and touches head to ground* I deeply apologize for the long wait for this rewrite and the stuff I put everyone through on last time's wacky journey. Please accept my apology.**

** And so, may the Hanakotoba, Poker Faces, and Disorder KaiShin/ShinKai fic begin!**

**Pairings (I'm gonna switch it up a little):**

**ShinKaiXKaiShin**

**RanXSomeKarateClubClassmate **

**HeijiXKazuha**

**HakubaXShiho/Haibara (New pairing!)**

**AokoXSomeSweetClassmateWhoKaitoHates**

**... I think that's it for now?**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Hatsukoi**

* * *

**Normal POV**

It began with a date.

Shinichi couldn't deny that he had seen it coming.

Ran had dressed up with Sonoko's advice, going as far as to put on a little lipstick.

Conan frowned from his place on the couch as Ran put on some low heeled shoes, a small smile on her face as she hummed a new Okino Yoko song. If there was lipstick, the woman was open for a kiss. If there were shoes, she was considering a relationship with the guy. If there was perfume, especially that spring flower scented one, then she was trying to impress him and draw attention a little bit.

The miniature sleuth felt his brows knit tightly on his forehead. "Ran-neechan," He began sweetly, a small smile on his lips and innocent curiosity pictured on his face. "Are you going on a date?"

The young woman smiled softly as she turned around. "I am. There's this really nice guy in my karate club who asked me out to the new cafe around the corner." The brunette lifted her wrist to her chest and glanced down at the time. "I might be gone for an hour or two. You can order for takeout for dinner, if you want Conan-kun, but there's also some curry rice on the stove that you can just heat up. Don't let Otou-san have any takeout if you do order though." The teenager let a soft pout come over her features. "He lost my allowance yesterday at that Mahjong game, so no beer or takeout. Feel free to make him pay for the delivery." She girl smiled a bit impishly and winked at her young charge.

Conan pursed his lips a bit and looked up through thick lashes at his long time childhood friend. "What about Shinichi-niichan?" His words brought the girl to a slow stop and a bitter smile.

Ran knelt down to Conan's height and cupped his left cheek, a strange calming sensation and quiet aura surrounding them both. "Listen Conan-kun, I know how much you wanted Shinichi and I to work out. You were always comforting me when things went downhill." She paused for a little bit, and Conan saw tears gather in her blue orbs.

"But... I don't think I can wait much longer for him, you know? I thought it was weird. How do I know if Shinichi is the right guy for me if I haven't even tried anyone else? Most childhood romances don't work out like that. There's someone better for Shinichi then his childhood friend... and there might be someone better for me too. That's why..." She took a shaky, shoulder jumping breath. "I want to let him go. I can't keep chasing after his shadow like this forever. From what I've seen, he might not ever come back home."

Conan felt a lump in his throat as Ran embraced him tightly. "So thank you for your help, Conan-kun, but I want to move on."

Suddenly, a constricting sensation in his chest gripped his small heart tightly, and a prickling sensation gathered in his throat and behind his eyes. Conan hesitantly put his arms around Ran too, and buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

He smelled the flowery scent of her perfume and abruptly, he couldn't take it anymore. It was all over.

All the memories, all the times he had pushed himself through excruciating pain to see her smile at him _without_ the glasses, all the times he had worn that bowtie to talk into his phone, all the times he had secretly went out to make her chocolate on White day, or even send her a text message when she was sick...

It went down the drain.

Conan was the one to break the embrace. It was too painful to even keep his breathing steady near her right now.

Ran rose and began walking away, opening the door of the house and preparing to leave downstairs. Just as she opened her mouth to say goodbye, Conan called after her.

"Ran-neechan, wait!" He shouted, a hand reaching out towards her.

Maybe he could turn this around. Maybe he could convince her that Shinichi was definitely coming back to see her again. Maybe he could think up some strange factoid off the top of his head about childhood romances. He could find a way around all of the things she had said if she just-

Conan froze in his desperate tracks.

_"... but, I want to move on."_

The faux child swallowed the words that had been about to tumble from his lips.

_That_ was one thing he couldn't talk around. _That_ was her desire to leave him. There was no way he could intrude on her feelings so cruelly.

Conan let his hand drop and limply hang at his side, letting his eyes focus down on the floor. His bangs covered his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

He brokenly looked up at his first friend, first love, and first sister.

"I think that the person you choose will make you happier than Shinichi-niichan ever could." He said softly. "Good luck on your date."

Ran frowned as the light in her little brother figure's eyes dimmed, and at the heartbroken expression on his face as he limply lifted his head so that his eyes could meet her own. At that point, she had a feeling that all of her suspicions of him had been correct. She didn't need proof anymore. All she needed to see were the wise and heartbroken eyes of her young charge.

The tall brunette smiled at him happily. "I really am happy that you understand. It took me a while to convince myself to do this to you." She came to Conan once more and placed a loving kiss on his forehead. "Thank you for all the memories. One day, we will look back and they won't be as bitter. They'll be the most precious memories in the world; ones that we wouldn't want to ever forget." She said softly, turning away from him before he could see her expression.

Conan stared after his beloved as she left. The sun was already going down, and the room was dyed in soft orange and red hues. He slowly walked over to the couch he had been so comfortable on and lied down, his face in the plush cushions so that he could suffocate himself.

They had parted with mutual feelings. They really had.

He was going to let her go himself... just as soon as he was ready.

But he wasn't. That's why he almost stopped her.

Conan didn't want to move at all. He should just let himself suffocate like this. Who else would he love anyway? There was no point in returning to Kudou Shinichi anymore. His parents were more than happy to let him go through childhood again, and have a "cute little Shin-chan" a second time to dress up and put through more soccer tournaments.

No one would be able to learn to see past these glinting glasses, which were now pressing rather painfully into his face.

Conan sat up with a small pout. He knew that even his behavior was becoming more and more childlike every passing day. He never used to pout or whine or sulk for long periods of time like a pouting child. Now he did one of these at least twice a day.

He threw off his glasses and let them land on the table as he sat alone in the now dark room.

Conan was determined to live out the rest of his life solving cases, and protecting the public. He would probably never separate from Haibara, since they were in the same position. He would never find love and never marry, except to his work, if he managed to find a place in the MPD. He probably would just die alone, if Haibara managed to be lucky enough to find someone that loved her as she was.

He, for one, could not stand the thought of dating someone his physical age, but he wouldn't mid Haibara doing it. Hell, maybe she'd choose Mitsuhiko-kun, since he was so passionately chasing after her.

Conan sighed heavily and turned so that he could stare at the ceiling rather than kill himself. It would be all over the news. "Beloved Police Mascot Commits Suicide! Death by Fluff!" or something like that. He sweatdropped at his own thoughts.

One thing was for sure: he wouldn't kill himself just yet. He couldn't leave Haibara alone here.

And...

He had an organization to erase from existence.

* * *

Ran smiled at her date happily as he stood to go get drinks for them at the snack bar. She looked up through the window on her right and to the bright stars twinkling in the dark blue backdrop called the sky. Suddenly, all she could see was Shinichi's smart grin in the stars.

She smiled gently and fondly at the image, the memories she treasured glowing more preciously than ever before.

One day, when he came back, she'd give him a good karate chop in the head for making her wait so long.

* * *

A brunette sat at the desk in his room, and sighed satisfyingly as he set a unique fountain pen down next to a card-like paper.

Then, he turned out the light and slipped into bed with an excited smirk.

This round would be fun too.

* * *

** End of chapter one! I'm so excited guys! I am keeping these chapters shorter than last time (*cough cough* 33,000+ words *cough cough*), so I'm limiting these chapters from about 1,500 to 2,000 words. Sound okay?**

** Thanks for sticking with me! Please look forward to next chapter!**

**~Crescent T.**


	2. Destiny of Love

** Thank you for the support so far! Not many reviews, but I am grateful for them anyway. I am more proud of the favorites and follows I've gotten. XD With that said and done, go ahead and begin the story!**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Ai no Unmei**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Haibara had noticed.

Of course, he had expected nothing less from her. After all, they had gotten a lot closer with the entire Black Organization ordeal hanging over their heads. They were intelligent individuals who had a friendship that hooked them together at all times. It wasn't quite a brother and sister relationship, like he and Ran now shared, but it was pretty damn close.

He hadn't gone to speak to her about the strange break up yet. Ran had yet to call him on his "Shinichi phone" to make it official. So, he figured, why tell her if there was still a small ray of hope? Of course, living with the said "almost girlfriend" was getting more painful by the day.

It had been two weeks now. Conan was locked up in the room he shared with Kogoro, though he wished he could go to sleep alone too. Eventually, the child snapped.

They asked too many questions.

"What's wrong, brat? Don't tell me someone's botherin' you!" Occhan had once asked.

Conan had merely shaken his head, and the man walked away, grumbling softly to himself.

Ran didn't ask many, except for the occasional, "Are you feeling okay, Conan-kun? Are you sick?" The usual brow crinkle accompanied the worried questions.

The faux child had had enough. He just wanted to be alone for a little while. No Occhan cheering at the Okino Yoko songs on TV, or grumbling about a lost bet. No Ran-neechan asking about the next meal, or scolding her father for having one too many beers.

Conan closed in on himself.

It had gotten so painful lately. All he did nowadays was stare at the newspaper articles covering cases, eat, sleep, breathe, go to school... smile falsely... it was beginning to take its toll. Couldn't he be alone for just a little while to wallow in a truckload of self pity? He didn't know why, but sulking usually made it all better. It would still tug at his heart strings whenever he saw Ran going out all dressed up and smiling, but at least he would be able to smile honestly afterwards.

And so, a light bulb lit up over his head.

"Ne, Ran-neechan," Conan began sweetly one morning. They were now on a break from school, and everyone but Kogoro, who had to open up the agency, had slept in.

"Yes, Conan-kun, what's up?" Ran tilted her head to the side and locked gazes with her charge. It was the first time in a few weeks that he was initiating conversation. She wasn't about to let this achievement escape her grasp, so she intended to milk it for all it was worth.

Conan felt his chest do a painful flip and squeeze as their eyes locked. Even though he had braced himself, it was still very, very painful to look at her.

"Can I spend break with Agasa-hakase?" He said slowly, trying not to sound desperate to leave as he spoke.

Ran frowned for a moment. "Does Agasa-hakase have room for you with Ai-chan over there?" She inquired concernedly.

Conan nodded. "I'll be house-sitting for a little while since Haibara and Hakase have to go to a few conventions to promote new inventions. They had no one else to ask to watch over the house. Don't worry, the Hakase has a bunch of things prepared over there so that I'm not alone all the time."

The teenager pursed her lips. Truth be told, she didn't want to let him leave, knowing that he'd spend a lot of his time alone and in a child's body, but... now that she knew his true identity, she was a little frustrated and angry at him too. Scratch that. She was _more_ than a little frustrated and angry.

Why had he hidden himself away this whole time?

Maybe it'd help them both blow off some steam if he went. Maybe she'd call "Shinichi" and tell him that she was starting to date other people now. The girl couldn't bear to do it while he was in the same house.

While she knew she could forgive him sooner or later, right now, she felt very betrayed and hurt.

"Okay." Ran smiled down at her charge falsely. "I don't mind."

And Conan smiled for the first time since Ran had gone on his date. "Thanks!" He cheered, quickly finishing up his breakfast and running away to pack his things.

He packed several outfits and his toothbrush and such, as though he was going to a sleep over. But by the time he had finished and put away the futon he slept on, the house was absolutely devoid of any evidence that Conan had been there.

Conan gave a wave to Ran as he walked out of the door, putting on his favorite shoes. He said goodbye to Occhan as he walked down the stairs too.

"Ah, Conan-kun," Ran called after him as he stepped out into the street. He looked up the cement stair case at his older sister figure and last love. "Be sure to call me once in a while and tell me how you're doing, okay?"

Conan nodded and waved, slinging his bag over his shoulder and launching himself onto his solar powered skateboard.

Now all he had to do was get the Hakase to cover for him, and he was home free at last.

* * *

He had to explain, so he did.

Shinichi started from the beginning, where he began to feel as though he should let Ran go. It was for the best, he told himself, so that she would be happy. Shinichi explained that she had told him herself that she wanted to move on, and he accepted that,

"...but..." Conan gripped the area on the stool between his legs, his hands together as he let his head hang down. Haibara sat on another stool beside him, and Hakase listened from behind the kitchen counter as he prepared coffee. His voice had cracked, and two tear drops fell to the surface of the leather stool. "...I wasn't the one ready. I was planning on letting her go as soon as I was ready."

Haibara frowned. "And when would that be, Kudo-kun?" She asked a bit harshly. She was not one to sugar coat things. This was reality he had to face.

Conan raised his head slowly and looked at her with water blue orbs. For a moment, he could not process her question, but staring into those vibrant teal eyes made him speak. It was as though she were pulling the answers from his gently.

"I...I don't know..." He answered truthfully in a whisper.

The coffee cup was finally placed in front of him.

Haibara sat back with a sigh of complexity. "Then isn't it better this way?" She asked.

He stared at her in open shock.

"Kudo-kun, you probably never would've let her go." The strawberry blonde explained smoothly. "It would've been too difficult since you were always by her side. You would end up clinging to a small hope until there was nothing else you could do about it."

At her words, Conan remembered the moment he had almost stopped Ran from leaving on her date.

"If you were always at her side, the best person to do initiate the split would be her. It would be the easiest route since she is under the impression that you haven't seen each other in a long time. The feelings you've shared so far should've faded by now. Either that, or she wants you to be happy with someone else." Haibara paused. "And from what you told us about what she said, then I think it is the second one. She wouldn't dump you out of the blue unless she's been thinking about it for a long time too."

Conan stared down at the black depths of his black coffee in thought, contemplating Haibara's words. He turned them over and over in his sharp mind, stepping away from the situation and looking at it from an outsider's point of view.

Perhaps Haibara was right. He probably never would've been able to gather the determination and courage to tell her to date other people. Especially not when she fed him gentle smiles every day.

"I know what I said will not erase the pain." Haibara looked down at her hands that rested on the counter with soft eyes. "But maybe it can ease it." She hoped. "And there is someone else out there for you." She began the cliché 'plenty of fish in the sea' speech. "You're the one that can see them, right? Those things you call the 'strings of fate.'" She smiled at him. "How do you know if you've found your soul mate?" She asked.

Shinichi looked down at his hands and blinked twice, focusing on his senses and spreading his awareness. His surroundings faded into inky blackness, and from his lit up body, strings went from his body and into the darkness.

"It's not like I can physically see them," he began uneasily as he came out of the darkness of his subconscious. "It's more like I can sense where they are and who they connect to." He sighed. "And I don't know. I figure that the string would _feel_ different if I found my soul mate."

"Have you found anyone different?" Haibara asked.

Shinichi pursed his lips in thought. "Usually it's just that the string connects our chests." He touched the area right under the space where his clavicles met with his index finger. "For you, the Shonen Tantei-Dan, Hattori, the police, people at school... all of you connect with me here." He reached towards Haibara and put his index finger where he had pointed to himself.

Haibara slapped his hands away with an irritated glare after a moment. She had felt like she could vividly imagine the strings.

"People like Hakase, Kaa-san and Tou-san, Sensei at school, Occhan, and Megure-keibu all connect to my right hand or shoulder." He explained.

"So parent figures that have helped you grow. Like they're holding your hand or putting one on your shoulder." Haibara summarized. "Are there any other places?"

"Ran had connected by herself in a different spot." He touched the spot over his heart and sighed. "That was why I fought for her so much. She was different."

Haibara's eyes narrowed. "What about the legend?"

Shinichi gulped down more of his coffee. "Legend? What legend? There's a legend?" He cocked a brow.

The strawberry blonde willed herself not to face palm, but fixed her friend with an incredulous look. "The one about the red strings of fate... I can't believe you can see them but don't know the legend." She took in a deep breath. "The legend says that soul mates are connected by a red string of fate that links their pinky fingers." She held up one of her own pinkies. "It's a very popular legend on love, you know. How did you miss it?"

Shinichi's lips thinned into a line as he grew defensive. "Well, my bad for not paying attention to those ridiculous love stories girls are obsessed with." He pouted, drowning his irritated attitude in another gulp of black coffee.

The Hakase laughed nervously as an angry tic made itself known on Haibara's forehead.

"Well _excuse me_ for being obsessed and trying to help!" She huffed, now irritated herself.

Shinichi immediately recognized his mistake. "I was just kidding, Haibara! _Kidding!"_ He practically squeaked.

The strawberry blonde would have none of it. "Anyway, what color are those strings?"

Conan blinked, surprised that she had let the matter go so easily. "Like a glowing red color... why?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Then look for the person with a string on their pinky that connects to yours." Haibara shrugged. "Simple as that. Do you see a string on your pinky?"

Shinichi wrinkled his nose. "I can't see the strings unless that person is nearby. I don't have that much power."

Somehow, he doubted that after Ran there would be anyone else who could possibly be his soul mate, like Haibara said.

No one else he had met had had their string connect in a different place.

No one he remembered, at least.

* * *

**Cut! Haha, what in the world are they talking about? It might be very obvious to you how Shinichi can see those strings, but if not, all shall be explained in due time!**

** I actually kept listening to the opening for DC by VALSHE called "Butterfly Core." My favorite part is when Shinichi and Conan show up on screen and mouth the lyrics. XD **

** See you next time!**

** ~Crescent T.**


	3. Reflection of Myself

** I'm back~! For some reason, I never actually plan out where a chapter of a story is going until the middle of the story... so... what is a surprise to you is probably a surprise to me. Maybe not.**

** Disclaimer: I forgot to do this, didn't I? Oh well, I, CrescentMoonTenshi, declare that any attempts to sue me for being an obsessive Fanfiction writer/fan girl, will be immediately dismissed, for the wonderful rights to ownership belong to Goshou Aoyama, and not myself. If I did reserve the rights to Detective Conan, I'd have the rights to Magic Kaito too, and we all know where that would end up. ;)**

** Warning: Uh... spoilers, if you haven't gotten up to the Subaru arc yet, and if you haven't gotten that caught up in the manga/anime lately (the spoiler for this one is just a brief mention of a case).**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Jibun o Han'ei**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Returning home felt more empty than usual. The deafening silence that blanketed the mansion... he couldn't bring himself to break it, going as far as to hold his breath the moment he noticed it.

Conan stood in the doorway for a long time. The dust in his house was swept clean, and unfamiliar pairs of loafers were tucked into the shoe cabinet.

He sighed heavily. It wasn't as quiet as he had first thought. He listened closely to the sound of the kitchen in use, and Conan headed there first.

"Hello, Subaru-san." He greeted with as much cheer as he could muster, making a beeline for the coffeemaker. The man didn't seem all too surprised at his sudden appearance. He had probably heard him come in.

"Ah, Conan-kun," The man smiled pleasantly. "How are you doing? I haven't heard from you since the refrigerated truck incident." He greeted smoothly as Conan navigated the kitchen expertly, gathering supplies for his coffee.

The faux child looked up at the cupboard holding his precious blend of coffee, and then at the stool he left in the kitchen for instances like this forlornly. Sometimes, he truly despised his short form. Subaru saved him the embarrassment and opened the cabinet himself, holding out the coffee and sugar to the boy. To his surprise, the child waved the sugar away dismissively.

"Thanks." He murmured, heading to the machine. "You really got us through that one. I was worried for a little bit. Especially since one of the kids fainted from the cold." Conan explained, his hands moving on autopilot to make his coffee.

Subaru merely smiled pleasantly before switching topics. "I take it you enjoy your coffee strong?"

Conan fixed him with a dead serious, sideways gaze. "Like battery acid." He replied solemnly.

The comment managed to elicit a smooth chuckle from the taller of the two. "Are you staying long?" He asked casually.

Conan paused thoughtfully. He had forgotten that Subaru now lived in his house in his desire to sulk, but had told Ran that he would be away all of break. He figured there was no need to be wary of Subaru now that Bourbon's identity was certain, even if Haibara still got 'that feeling' around him for brief moments of time.

"Until the break at the elementary school is over." He answered decisively, patiently waiting for the coffee maker to begin its obnoxious slurping and sucking sound. "It's only about a week long, so I'll be out of your hair soon, I promise." He grinned a bit.

The man smiled, taking the faux child's off attitude in stride. "Don't worry about that, Conan-kun. It'd be nice to have someone around for a little while."

Conan fixed the man with a crooked smile of gratefulness before pouring his fresh brew of coffee into his favorite mug. He'd do his best to avoid the man without being noticed until break was over.

* * *

He had really pulled all the stops this time. Chips, ice cream, cookies... he wasn't the type to try to survive on junk food alone, but he needed the fat anyway, since turning in Shinichi only made him look like a walking sack of skin and bones.

His room was a mess by now, since he had refused to leave his room for three days straight. He left only to have meals with Subaru, who insisted on his attendance to them. Even then, however, he touched very little of his food, even though Subaru was an excellent cook. He would enjoy it more if everything that entered his mouth didn't taste like he had put a bunch of soft, plain crackers in his mouth.

He had wallowed in self pity for three days straight, outright flatly refusing to leave his bed of bundled blankets. He had taken a long time to reflect on his life; his past, the present, and the coming future.

He had never really imagined a future without Ran by his side. It hurt. It really did feel like someone was pinching the very center of his heart whenever he thought about it. The pain was a strange twinge now, though, somewhat distant and numb.

Shinichi had finally acknowledged and accepted the fact that the two would never end up together, although he did so a bit begrudgingly. But now, he knew that at least remaining friends would be easy. He would simply throw aside the thought of entering a relationship for the far, far, away future, even if it did mean that he was sweeping it under the rug. He knew, very strongly now, that there were more things to his life than just, "Ran." He had cases, friends, soccer, taking down an internationally influential crime syndicate, finding a way to return to his original body, his collection of Holmes books (Giving up on love would be another thing that relates him to his hero), and many other things.

He could be happy without loving someone. It was too early to decide on staying with one person when he had his entire life ahead of him.

He was just a high school student. He had the world in front of him with open arms right now, and if he really did manage to ever find someone (though he sincerely doubted it), he would spend the majority of his life with that person after marriage anyway. What was the point in chaining himself down now?

Now he could be more independent and free and reckless.

Well... maybe not reckless per say, but...

Shinichi finally gathered himself up from his cocoon of blankets and began picking up after himself. He knew he would never truly get over Ran, and that it would always hurt his chest whenever he thought of the future they could've had together, but it would get better.

It _had_ to get better, because he was Kudou Shinichi, the high school detective that bounced back from depression pretty quickly after a good sulk and pep talk.

Haibara's pep talk? Check.

Sulking for three days straight with nothing but junk food and Holmes? Check, and check!

Shinichi stretched his entire small form, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

He'd always feel pain about his lost love, but that would be another thing that he would have to carry as his life's baggage.

* * *

To Subaru's surprise, the miniature detective he had been worried about had come down to the kitchen himself today.

The sharp and calculating light in his host's eyes had finally returned, and that sometimes cheeky grin was plastered over his face.

"What's for lunch today, Subaru-san? If you don't feel like making anything, I can take a shot today. Though, I've gotta warn you, my cooking is not as culinary art award worthy as yours." The faux child scratched his cheek with an index finger, a nervous habit that Subaru had become familiar with himself by now.

Subaru merely smiled his 'I-will-take-this-change-of-attitude-in-stride-too' smile and shook his head. "I was thinking of okonomiyaki for lunch, and some takeout for dinner. Does that sound okay?"

Conan grinned, instantly being reminded of his Osakan counterpart and his obsession with their lunch. "Heiji-niichan would have a fit if he found out I had homemade okonomiyaki without him." He snickered childishly.

"Ah yea? Well then, maybe 'Heiji-niichan' should jus' join ya fer lunch, haa?" A familiar Osakan accent bellowed through the room.

"Hoh..." Subaru let his brows furrow in a little worry as he stared at the new guest towering behind Conan, malice in the guest's aura.

Conan grimaced in surprise as a large hand was suddenly set upon his head. "Geh!" He squawked as he felt his head being pushed downwards.

"Wat's da matter widd'ya, huh, K-K-Conan-kun?" The Osakan detective immediately began scolding his young friend. "I called ya, but'chya didn't answer, so I called Neechan, 'n' she said ya went ta spend yer break at da Hakase's, but did'ya _really_ d'ink dat I wouldn't find dat a little suspicious?" He ranted. "_You, _spendin' _yer_ break, in da custody of Sciencey Neechan? Uh huh, like I was 'bout ta believe dat!" He spat. "Who knows wat experiments she'd be pushin' on ya right 'bout now? So I came all da way from Osaka, jus' narrowly escapin' Kazuha, to rescue ya, 'n' wat do I find? You goin' ta eat okonomiyaki widdout meh!" The tanner of the two ranted endlessly.

Conan finally managed to escape the hand that kept pushing his small head around and faced his best friend. "Oi! That hurts!" He finally managed to yell.

"'Dat hurts?!'" Heiji quoted with wide eyes. "'Dat hurts?!' Oh, I'll tell ya wat hurts! I _d'ought_ we were best friends, and ya don't answer yer phone fer three days? Are ya _tryin'_ ta make meh worry?" He whined.

Shinichi eyed his friend for a moment before sweat-dropping. "Maa, maa, stop your ranting, okay? I'll explain later." He attempted to calm his friend and put his hands up in a surrendering motion.

The taller of the two finally seemed to notice the other occupant of the room. "Ah, Subaru-san, right?" He asked, putting forward a hand. "Nice ta meet'chya! I'm K-K-Conan-kun's best friend, Hattori Heiji, renowned detective of da West!" He exclaimed proudly, his chest puffing out a bit. "I heard from K-K-Conan-kun dat you were livin' h're fer da time bein'."

Conan sweet-dropped at his friend's slip ups. "He already knows, remember? He was the one who caught me talking to Ran with the bowtie."

Heiji's emerald colored eyes widened with recognition. "Ah, dat makes sense."

Conan fixed his friend with a deadpanned look, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "And even if he didn't know, the slip ups you keep making would already have him suspicious."

Heiji sweatdropped as Subaru stepped forward and took his outstretched hand, shaking it casually. "It's nice to meet you, Hattori-kun. My name is Okiya Subaru."

The tanned skinned Osakan grinned and chuckled a bit. "Sorry fer da intrusion." He apologized.

"Oh, don't worry. If Kudou-kun wants you here, I have no qualms about it. A large house can be pretty lonely with no one else in it, right, Kudou-kun?" Subaru bent down and smiled at his young host.

They watched as Conan's eyes glazed over in thought. "Yeah..." He agreed quietly, lost in childhood memories. He suddenly snapped out of it. "I guess it can be once in a while, huh?" The faux child grinned up at his two guests. "So... how 'bout that lunch?"

Needless to say, Hattori and Subaru became the best of friends after finding out about each other's tastes in food. Hattori was no cook, but by the end of the day, Subaru had written down a recipe that he could take home to his mother.

After that, Hattori and Conan found themselves in the library, sitting over a chessboard completely made of glass. On one side, Heiji's side, there were clear glass pieces. On Conan's, there were frosted glass pieces with rough textures to them. The board was modeled after the theme, checkered with the clear and frosted glass squares.

Heiji stared, irritated, at the board and its pieces, seeing that his friend was steadily luring him into a complex trap. He frowned. What bothered him the most was the fact that he knew how the trap worked, but could not find a way out of it. He looked at his friend, who only grinned cheekily in response.

"So yer tellin' meh dat Neechan suddenly dumped ya outta da blue?" Heiji summarized, moving a knight forward.

Conan bobbed his head up and down in answer, shifting his queen away from the detective's greedy hands. "And I let her go. I could have fought against all the reasons she gave me if I wanted to."

"'If ya wanted to?'" Heiji quoted, moving a pawn forward.

"Un," Conan hummed in reply. "But I don't." He moved a bishop forward, almost completing his trap.

"W-Why not?" _Geh. _Heiji winced, staring at his pieces. His eyes roamed over the board, searching and calculating the next move.

"There was one thing that I couldn't fight against." Conan moved a knight, completing his trap, and smiled bitterly at his friend. "She wanted to move on herself. I can't change her desires." He shook his head. "That would be cruel."

Heiji hung his head in defeat, moving a random pawn forward and watching as Conan claimed it swiftly. "So... what 'r' ya gonna do now?" He asked.

Shinichi tipped over Heiji's king with a finger, his hands returning underneath his chin to support his head. He looked up at his friend with clear, and pained cerulean blue orbs. "I've been checkmated by the goddess of love and fate. It's game over on my side." He answered simply.

Heiji locked gazes with his friend silently. He held his own doubts about his friend being finished, but he'd accept his decision.

For now.

* * *

**Haha, that's a little over the 2,000 mark, but I got to where I wanted to be. I hope this chapter satisfied all of you who missed how I wrote Hattori's accent. XD See ya next time! Things will finally start movin' along!**

**~Crescent T.**


	4. Tears on Love

**HPFD.4**

** For those of you who wanted to know how I managed to end Shinichi's sulking session so realistically last time, I received inspiration by Tori Kelly's "Dear No One." It's on YouTube. And very catchy. ;)**

** Warning: Colorful language (hmmm, I wonder who that could be), reference to London arc, and to the movie with the plane and Kaitou KID (can't remember the name, but I hope it's a movie). Too tired to edit too, so...**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Ai ni Namida**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Hattori tried to stay for three days. He really did, to keep his best friend company over his heartbreak, but Kazuha wouldn't have it.

He managed to stay two days and two nights. On the third morning, his bags were packed up and he was whisked away by his childhood friend and love interest, albeit the fact that he didn't realize it yet.

That wasn't to say that he and Shinichi hadn't had fun. They had gone to the movies, which resulted in a suicide case, a restaurant, which had resulted in a poison-using murder, to an amusement park (fortunately not Tropical Land), which had resulted in a theft case, and then to a local soccer game, where they tried, in vain, to avoid any more cases. Unfortunately, that one had been another hostage/kidnapping situation.

He didn't always go out that often, but when he did, a case happened.

It had renewed Shinichi's adoration for complex, mind puzzling situations, but that hadn't changed the fact that, at the end of the day, there was always another family in charge of arranging a funeral.

It had renewed Shinichi's desire to change the filthy world they were trapped in, hoping that by putting common people who had turned ugly with hatred and jealously in jail would warn others. He hoped that he would become a threat to them, in a way, and that the crime rate would soon drop, but seeing as bodies seemed to fall at his feet, such a thing would most likely not happen soon.

It had renewed Shinichi's hope that, one day, the world just might be a better place with his existence pushing against cruel fates handed to (mostly) innocent people.

And for that, he found another reason to climb out of Depression Land and keep his chin up.

* * *

It had happened on the first night.

Both of them had been surprised, seeing as the _thing _was addressed to both of them.

They had believed he wasn't stupid enough to invite them, but now they knew that he was too much.

_When the Father turns his hourglass downwards,_

_The Mother protects her dear Daughter,_

_And the anniversary of the storyteller's home opens grand gates,_

_I will arrive to place a kiss,_

_On the chaste maiden's lips. _

_~Kaitou KID *caricature*_

_PS. Feel free to invite Tantei-han too, Tantei-kun. The more detectives, the bigger the failure seems~! _

Of course, Hattori had gone on a rampage about wounded pride and taunting and, "how-I'm-gonna-drive-a-stick-up-somew're-_real_-uncomfert'le-when-I-see-da-likes-of-'im."

Shinichi, however, was more concerned about how the internationally wanted thief had detected the western detective's presence in Beika-chou.

"Maa, maa," Conan put his hands up. Apparently, this was a habit he'd be stealing from Megure-keibu when he was around someone as hot headed as Hattori Heiji. "At least it's better than someone being dead, right? We can go and have fun without having to go to a funeral." He sweat dropped as his friend paused in his tirade.

"Ya go to da fun'rals?" Heiji furrowed his brows and stared down at his friend.

"Somehow, I usually end up close to the family members during the investigations." Conan shrugged. "If the family allows it, I go. They usually invite me before I ask, because, apparently, I am the reason their loved one's soul is at rest. Maybe I'm just really approachable since I'm young?" He tilted his head to the side. "I haven't been to many since I turned into Conan. It's probably because Occhan is the one solving them, not me."

Heiji snorted at that.

"This should be better, at least. You know that KID has that thing against people getting hurt at his heists." Conan pointed out. "I remember how furious he got when one of the guards had gotten hit by a stray bullet meant for him. KID was hell-bent on capturing the man there, even though he could risk himself being caught and was already half way into the clear." Conan grinned fondly at the memory, noticing Hattori's hooked stare.

"He turned his glider around. The police couldn't tell what happened until after the smoke cleared, but the man was hanging off the side of a sky-scraper by a single rope, only in his underpants, and had his hair dyed so many different colors that he went to court that way." He and Hattori shared a laugh. "The poor guy was drawn all over with utterly removable marker, and things like, 'Santa put me on the naughty list, so I put him on the hit list' and 'If payback is sweet, and revenge a bastard, then I must be the sweetest bastard you've ever met.'"

Hattori roared with laughter.

Conan's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ooh! Oh! There was another one!" He exclaimed. "Um... 'Karma takes too long. I'd rather beat the shit out of you now.'"

Hattori blinked before chuckling smoothly.

"It was so strange!" Conan declared. "I mean, he prides himself on being a gentleman, but then he goes and uses colorful language on par with Nakamori-keibu's when he's been angered."

"Wat happened later?" Heiji asked.

"He apparently visited the man in the hospital, leaving 'get well soon' balloons and cards, and even a 'sorry about what I did during my blackout' card." Shinichi smiled. "He left the man instructions on how to remove his glitter, guck, and dye, which, he has made copies of and has gotten rich off of by selling them to other officers. One of the cards that really jumped out at me was the, 'I massively fucked up and I'm really sorry' card. Then later, the, 'Umm.., sorry, but I did get you flowers' card."

"'N' did 'e acta'ly bring da guy flowers?" Hattori asked.

Conan nodded almost solemnly. "Stepping into the man's hospital room was like walking into a greenhouse garden." He declared. "Funny, but it smelled like perfume." He wrinkled his nose at the memory.

Hattori pursed his lips. "Fine, I'll go wid ya to da heist." He accepted, noticing how his friend seemed the most animated while talking about Kaitou KID than he had all vacation. "But first, we gotta solve da notice."

Conan grinned as the two sat across from each other at the kitchen counter top, but frowned as Hattori immediately announced that it be a competition. Shinichi attempted to convince him otherwise, but his counterpart paid no heed and studiously worked at the new notice.

Well, if he lost, he could always claim that he had never agreed to a competition, and was taking his time.

* * *

They spent their time idly awaiting the day Hattori would leave after that, deciding that going out would probably only bring about more funeral invitations.

The heist was in a week, so Hattori would return for that. Thankfully, it wouldn't be on a school night, and Conan would be able to convince Ran to let him go.

...

...

...

Ran.

Shinichi sat back in his favorite arm chair behind his father's old desk. He sat with his legs crossed, and one elbow propped up on the surface of the table to meet his chin, where his hand cupped his jaw. His index finger covered the length of his lips as he stared off into space, eyes narrowed and deep in thought.

It still bothered him; the thought of returning to the side of the woman who he had invested his entire life in so that he could hopefully find happiness with her.

Still, it wasn't as if the two of them had made things official.

Shinichi had confessed under that gorgeous grandfather clock, but she hadn't told him anything in return.

...

...

...

It _hurt._

Had she possibly thinking of letting him go since that time?

Shinichi sighed, trying in vain to push the negative thoughts away and focus on the newspaper in front of him, but try as he might, the thoughts continued to haunt him.

She hadn't really dumped him.

After all, nothing had been official.

She had been his...'intended.'

They had a...'thing.'

They were more than friends, but not yet a couple.

Shinichi sighed again heavily, smacking his head down on the desk and not trying to get up. He stared at the air to the side, his gaze a million miles away.

The point was, could he really go back there, and risk the chance of only putting himself through more heartbreak?

Or was it finally time for the disappearance of 'Conan?'

His Shinichi phone rang later that night.

He was restless, and refused to sleep, staying awake through the night in his library, much to the dismay of a worried Subaru and irritated Hattori.

_Hmmm... who could that be? _He thought bitterly, knowing to immediately answer the phone and fix his bowtie.

"Hello?" He asked, his voice changed thanks to his gadget.

_"Shinichi?"_

"Ah, Ran, huh? I was wondering just when you were gonna call to nag me about something." Shinichi joked, smoothly keeping his voice in check and not allowing it to crack in sorrow.

_"Shinichi!" _She scolded immediately._"That's so mean! Especially since you haven't managed to pick up the phone in such a long time!"_

"Oops, sorry. What would I do without you to watch over my manners, Ran?"

_"..." _

"Ran?"

_"...I don't know, Shinichi." _Suddenly, Ran's voice sounded extremely exhausted. _"I won't be there to keep you in check all the time anymore. Maybe just some of the time now..."_

Shinichi was silent for a long moment. "What do you mean?" He asked slowly, as though trying to stall the inevitable.

_"Shinichi...I don't think I can do this anymore." _She said just as slowly, bracing herself for the pain to come. _"I've...I've begun to date other people, Shinichi."_

"..."

_"Shinichi?"_

The detective let his bangs cover his eyes as he sat alone in the cold and dark library room, brightened only by the haunting light of the moon.

"That's good, Ran." He said finally. "I'm happy for you."

_"R-Really?" _She stuttered out.

"Really." He confirmed. "You deserve someone much better than me, who will always just keep you waiting. You deserve someone better than this Holmes freak." He said sincerely, bitterness lacing his every word. "You can be much happier, Ran. With someone else."

_"Shinichi..." _She breathed.

He paused for a long time, staring at his hands. "Just..." He trailed off. "Just one thing," He began.

He could hear her nervous and surprised gulp. _"Sure. Go ahead."_

He didn't say anything for a long while, and she didn't either, patiently waiting for him, just as she always did. "Can we..." He began hesitantly. "Can we still be friends?"

Shinichi jumped in surprise at her cry of happiness and relief. _"Of course, you Holmes freak! We are always going to best friends, no matter what! Even if this best friend will be super mad at you for making her worry, we will still be best friends."_

Shinichi smiled in the dark, a satisfied 'hmph' escaping through his nose.

"Thanks...Ran," He said finally. "For everything."

He could tell she was smiling softly. _"...You're welcome."_

And with that, the phone call ended.

Shinichi set the phone down on his table, and set his head in his hands with a sigh.

...

...

...

It hurt so much.

So he wept for the first time over his lost love, all alone in that big, dark, and lonely library, the goddess of the moon his only comfort.

* * *

**For some reason, I keep punishing our poor Shinichi. Hopefully, this is the last time we'll see him so depressed. The phrase, 'it hurt' won't get old anytime soon, though. Haha. **

** Anyway, feel free to take a guess at the heist note.**

** Did I surprise you with who the culprit was (of using such colorful vocabulary)?**

**~Crescent T.**

**PS. I'm using Google Translate to make the chapter titles, if you're interested in translating them yourself. They are the titles of my favorite pianist's songs- Yiruma.**


	5. Eve

**HPFD.5**

** Hello~! I'm back. I'm glad everyone is excited to see the KID heist. Kudos to Assasin8 who got the closest to the heist notice's meaning. Way to go, Assasin8! *claps and cheers***

** Warnings: Reference to the Last Wizard of the Century movie three. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter Name: ****Ibu**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Conan stood, his hands stuffed into his pockets, on the train's platform. Hattori was standing next to him as they waited for the train to arrive.

"Some note, huh?" Conan breathed out with a whoosh.

They had solved the heist notice, of course, but they spent the entire solving session arguing about the answers and who was right. Shinichi had to stick up for his conclusion using evidence, since Hattori always went blind to them when he had 'winning' on his mind.

It is not about winning.

...

Ok, maybe sometimes.

"I can't believe ya won. Again." Hattori grumbled, annoyed at his friend. "D'ey don't call ya da 'KID killer' fer nothin', eh?"

Conan looked up at his friend with an embarrassed smile. "It was a lot vaguer than the usual notices... I only knew the location because I live in Beika, and know what 'anniversary' he was talking about."

"'N' wadd'ya get?" Hattori looked down at his friend.

Despite the fact that they had spent a long time arguing along the way, neither of them had revealed their final answers.

Conan had half the mind to let his friend go on with his assumptions. Maybe he's end up at the wrong location.

He sighed. "The 'Father' and 'hourglass' refer to Father Time." Shinichi began. "The Father is turning it downwards, so that means it's the start of a new day. The 'Mother' protecting her 'Daughter' is another hint to the time, but this one is talking about a clock itself."

Heiji nodded. "So da heist's at midnight. Da 'Mother' is da big hand of da clock, 'n' da 'Daughter' is da little hand. 'N' if ya look at a clock's center pin, da little hand is underneath da bigger one." He finished.

Conan nodded. "The 'storyteller's home' means museum," He began the next line, a small and excited smirk gracing his features. "In other words, 'story' refers to 'history' and 'home' means 'building.' I mean, there are other possibilities, but when we think of the next line, and KID's usual heist locations, we get Beika Museum."

"N'de?" Hattori looked down at his friend with curiosity. "How'd ya get 'Beika Museum'?"

Shinichi turned a bit pink. "Before I was Conan, Ran used to drag me to the huge celebration Beika Museum held for its anniversaries, the date being when it opened its doors for the first time."

Heiji's eyes clouded with concern, but he smiled at his friend anyway. "So yer not new to da celebrations... does dat mean you'll know where we're goin' when we get d'ere?" He questioned, innocent curiosity gleaming in his sea green eyes.

Conan nodded. "The 'chaste maiden' points to 'Artemis's Wisdom.'" He murmured, lost in thought. He clasped his chin with his right hand. "It's a small, marble statue of Artemis. Her pose makes her look really sorrowful, but there's a glowing sapphire in her forehead. The museum owners arrange her just right so that the light in the room bounces off the sapphire, and the jewel sends blue beams across the display hall. It's very beautiful."

Heiji nodded. "Ya saw it?"

"Yes." Conan confirmed. "It's been there for a few years, so-"

Hattori's cell phone began singing an obnoxious ringtone. He sweatdropped at his friend and chuckled nervously as he grabbed his phone, flinched at the caller ID, and answered it.

Conan snickered.

Hattori Heiji, the tannest person he knew (he was tanner than Amuro), had paled to the color of a normal Tokyo citizen in fright.

Suddenly, the taller of the two was holding the phone away from his ear.

Conan could hear Kazuha yelling from three feet away.

* * *

Now, Shinichi had his last day of break all to himself.

He went straight home and retreated into his large library.

The library had been cleaned in his long absence; something he didn't notice as he sat with Hattori and played chess. The large, dome-shaped, glass ceiling had its windows thrown open, and a soothing breeze drifted through the room. The yellow sun cast warm rays through the glass, and shafts of light hit the floors. Shinichi sat on the yellow sofa that had a rose pattern of orange on the cloth. The sides were rimmed with wood, and he shuddered as he remembered all the times he had leaned too far back and hit his head.

He got comfortable, a book in his hand. He hoped to spend the rest of the day distracted from the thought that, eventually, he'd have to return to Ran's side.

* * *

It wasn't half as bad as he thought it would be.

He couldn't look her in the eye that first day, no matter what. But, when the next day came, he felt a _little_ more comfortable. He could talk to her and be _Conan_.

It was _Shinichi_ that was in pain.

_Conan_ had nothing to do with it, he realized that first night home.

He would have to keep the Conan persona he'd been wearing in full control, like a mask. He took in deep breaths and smiled whenever they talked, so that it wouldn't seem obvious that he was hurt. After all, he had gone a week without seeing her, and he felt better with the sulk and pep talk he had received. Going back to school hadn't been bad either. He was more than happy to be surrounded by the cheerful attitudes of the children, and could already feel his spirits being lifted again.

It would be fine.

He was okay.

But... just in case, Haibara kept an eye on him.

It got a little easier with each passing day. He was glad that it did. Sooner or later, he'd pull himself out of the hole of depression he'd dug himself into. It was like he was chained to the various experiences he had as Kudou Shinichi, and the experiences waiting for him as Edogawa Conan were pulling him, placing stress on the chains. He would always be compared to his old self, even though he had changed.

Edogawa Conan had changed him.

Now, he was no longer sure if, when he returned to being Kudou Shinichi, that everything would be normal. He wasn't sure if he was the same person... the person Mouri Ran had fallen in love with. That was what frightened him the most. That was what chained him. All he had to do was break his chains. Only then, would he be truly free from all the deceit and hiding and sneaking around. Only then, would he truly be one person and one person only. The question was who would end up being.

Edogawa Conan or Kudou Shinichi?

* * *

Friday evening came quickly, and Conan couldn't deny the fact that he'd been looking forward to it all week.

Hattori met with him at the building, and the two of them headed inside.

As per usual, there were guards scrambling to prepare for the appointed time, scurrying around to complete Nakamori-keibu's orders. And, as per usual, he had a fit when he saw the newcomers.

"Arrrgh! Why are _you_ here?!" He spat, jabbing a finger into Heiji's chest. "_This_ I can accept, because he comes to all of the heists Jirokichi sponsors and the Beika ones, so I _knew_ he was coming, but _you_?" He demanded, pointing at Conan first and then at Hattori.

His Osakan counterpart backed away with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Maa, maa, keibu-han, let's not be like dat, 'kay?" He attempted to calm the man a bit. "'N' KID was da one who invited meh in da first place." He Held up the notice a bit weakly.

The man snatched the message. "Haa? KID _invited_ you?" He furrowed his brows as a perplexed expression dominated his countenance. "Let's see here," He began, cupping his chin. "'PS. Feel free to invite Tantei-han too, Tantei-kun. The more detectives, the bigger the failure seems..?'" He trailed off. A moment later, his ears were literally blowing steam, and his face had gone baboon butt red. "Argh! That damned conceited thief!" He roared, immediately stomping away and grumbling under his breath.

The two detectives he left behind sweatdropped.

Nakamori-keibu always seemed to enjoy showing off his rather _colorful_ vocabulary.

"'N' he didn't return da message..." Hattori put a hand to his forehead. "How do ya put up wid d'is stuff?" He asked rather vaguely, waving a hand in front of them to gesture to the hustle and bustle of the KID task force.

Shinichi laughed flatly. _Haha... you should see them when Jirokichi-ojiisan is around with his private guard mixing with them..._

* * *

The two of them didn't manage to get close enough to the display case to sneak a peek at the targeted jewel, but they figured that once it was returned, they could come and see it again after the heist.

"The heist notice said midnight, right?" Shinichi cocked his head as he stared at his watch. "That's in about ten more minutes..."

They were leaning against the wall in a secluded and unguarded area, arms crossed as they monitored the heist room.

"I thought that from the 'Last Wizard of the Century' case that they figured out that trapping KID in the room with the jewel wasn't a good idea, so they used a replica." Conan murmured.

Heiji looked down at his friend. "Yeah, I 'member dat heist. Dat one earned meh a slight sprain after dat near-ta-death collision wid dat truck." He shuddered and leaned his head back against the wall with a sigh.

Conan smiled apologetically. "We shouldn't have kept our eyes on the sky during that time."

Heiji snorted. "It don't matter anyhow. Least we were able ta figure out who Scorpion was and arrest 'em."

Conan raised a brow with a crooked smile. "Yeah, at least."

They were silent for a long time as Conan looked down at the floor, his glasses gleaming.

"N'de?" He began shifting his weight to his other foot, a large smirk on his face. "How'd you switch with him? If I remember correctly, he was with me most of the time."

Hattori looked down at his friend again, confusion painted clearly on his face. "Haa? Wat'er ya talkin' 'bout, Conan? Switch with who?"

Shinichi let out a small humph and looked up at his Osakan counterpart. He held up a finger. "I never told Hattori the details of what happened in that castle..." He smirked wider, holding a hand to his chin. "I never told him what happened because he was being nursed by Toyama-san, and wasn't allowed his phone during that time. Eventually, we both forgot about it. In the end, Hattori didn't find out anything about Scorpion."

"Hattori Heiji" remained silent, but turned his hat forward, using the shadows to hide his expression.

"And you didn't mess up my name." Shinichi continued.

"Ho~? What do you mean?"

Conan shifted, his demeanor going from prideful to irritated in a moment. "That idiot can't say 'Conan-kun' without going 'K-K-Conan-kun!'" He imitated with the help of his bowtie. "Well, I can't imitate his voice as well as you can, but you get it."

"But that's more circumstantial evidence than usual, isn't it?" He pointed out.

Conan did nothing to hide his perplexed expression. It was useless anyhow. "I have more evidence, but it's not important. All I wanted to know is why you went out of your way to invite us with a private notice, when you switched with Hattori, and why you decided to disguise as him in the end. You make it look like you couldn't make up your mind about him being around or not."

Heiji used his hat to cover his expression, an immediate smirk dancing across his lips. "I switched with him when you two were turning the corner by the toilet." He answered simply. "He's in the stalls right now, bound hand and foot."

Conan let out a small, irritated sigh, already feeling a migraine coming along from the rant that Heiji was bound to go off into. He shifted his glasses upwards and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Suddenly, 'Heiji' was right in front of him.

"What are you looking at?" Conan grumbled.

The man tilted his head and stared at him with wide sea green eyes. "It's nothing but... I don't think I've ever seen you without your glasses on." The thief sounded genuinely curious.

"Haa?" Shinichi said irritably, removing his glasses completely and staring straight into his rival's face. "Does that really matter? I've never seen you without your monocle."

"Ah, but removing that would reveal my identity." KID countered.

"I could very well say the same." Conan grumbled under his breath, looking away.

KID stared for a little while longer, and Shinichi shifted uncomfortably, a blush coming over his heated cheeks. Dammit, it felt like he was being scrutinized.

"Ha, you really don't look as dangerous without your glasses. Your eyes just look bluer... and maybe more intelligent?" KID cocked his head to the side, like he was trying to figure out what an abstract painting was actually painted to look like.

Conan nearly growled at his rival before he felt a slight tug on his left hand.

He jumped and looked down at his hand, his awareness suddenly spreading out. It was black around him. The entire room had disappeared, but the officers he knew were spotlighted in the darkness, Kaitou KID glowing with them too.

It was then that he noticed the red strings. He followed the one wrapped around his left hand's pinky finger, tracing the red string among the mess of officers he'd met.

There, he reached a conclusion.

His eyes widened in shock as he was suddenly dropped back into the real world, time beginning to move forward once more. A fire truck red blush spread across cheeks and down his neck as he stared, wide eyed, at his person of fate.

_B-But... There's no way!_

_ K-Kaitou KID is my fated partner?!_

* * *

**Haha, that's a little over the 2000 word mark, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind... was it surprising? That KID would go out of his way to invite Hattori but just end up disguising as him? Knowing KID, he could've just disguised as one of the officers, as usual, right? **

** Did anyone think I was gonna wait for Conan to see the string that connect him and KID? ;P **

**~Crescent T.**


	6. Our Same Worlds

**I'm sorry for disappearing like that all of a sudden. But don't worry, I'm back for a little while again. Whenever inspiration strikes, you know?**

* * *

**Chapter name: Watashitachi to Onaji Sekai**

* * *

**Normal POV**

KID left him alone soon enough after that, leaving his obviously distracted detective to his own devices. Conan's eyes were wide, his entire face still scarlet red as he covered his hands with his face. He was in embarrassed shock... and possibly denial. He checked over and over again, spreading his senses/awareness and retracing KID's string of fate back to him.

The answer was the same each time.

Shinichi rubbed his face furiously, as though attempting to rub the blood red blush that seemed to make itself at home in his cheeks. Then he rubbed his arms, suddenly feeling the room temperature drop considerably. This earth shattering, world stopping, out-of-this-universe-because-it-can't-be-possible discovery was addling his brain. His thoughts ran so quickly that he could only hear himself think a few words at a time. Each little point he made in his brilliant mind branched off into another subject/point, like fire spreading through gasoline. Frankly, he just wanted to put his thoughts on pause and slow motion to prevent the oncoming migraine he was already feeling.

How could this be possible?

Why?

What was the point of throwing him together with an internationally wanted, moonlight magician?

This had to be some cruel joke.

Conan backed into the wall behind him, a hand still covering his mouth as he slid down into a ball form. This was utterly ridiculous. Ludicrous. Preposterous. _The_ Kaitou KID was the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with?

No. Way.

Suddenly, the lights were out, and Conan snapped back into reality. It was imperative that he push his thoughts away and focus on the heist. If he didn't manage to force KID to relinquish the "big jewel" to him, his reputation as the "KID Killer" would be hurt, and Nakamori-keibu would have even more of a reason to keep him away from heists.

Conan frowned as a single spotlight shone on the front door of the room. Smoke began billowing from the cracks between the double doors and walls. A few guards shouted in alarm and jumped away from the smoke. Nakamori-keibu was on the megaphone faster than Shinichi could say "Shinjitsu wa itsumo hitotsu."

"Stand your ground men!" He commanded in a screeching voice.

Conan clapped his hands to his ears and winced. The keibu was already loud enough; did he really need a megaphone too?

Suddenly, an officer let out an undignified squawk. "K-Keibu," He yelled. "It's the floor! We're stuck!" The officer reported, moving around his body weight and finding his boots glued down to the floor.

Nakamori let out a frustrated roar, but before he could even say anything, the doors were flung open. There was a long pause as the entire room held its breath and the smoke cleared away.

Suddenly, the Kaitou KID walked in through the entrance slowly, tauntingly, and quietly. The one part insane, two parts excited, and all parts cocky grin was plastered over his shadowed face.

It wasn't until he was a safe distance away from the Keibu's reach that he spoke.

"_Good evening_, Keibu." he drawled out in English, teasing the man in front of him. "You seem to be a little _stuck_ there." The thief's toothy smirk grew wider, and impossibly more pleased.

The man released a snarl, attempting to lunge for the white clad magician, but instead found that his feet had been rooted to the floor too.

"KID!" He screeched.

The thief made a falsely worried and pained face, plugging an index finger into one of his ears. "Oi, oi, no need to yell; I'm right here."

"Argh!" He let out a frustrated scream. "When I get my hands on you, I'll-"

The magician thief snapped his fingers and duct tape in the form of an "x" appeared on the man's mouth. "Careful now, Keibu, there are children present~!" He wagged an index finger in front of the man's face and continued on past him.

The thief cheerfully-

Wait a second, is he _skipping_?!

Conan made a shocked sound in the back of his throat.

He observed the scene before him with sharp eyes, taking in every detail before letting his eyes rest on the thief.

The gaze did not go unnoticed. The magician merely grinned at him wider than earlier.

He snapped his fingers once more and the spotlight from earlier shined on the glass case that held tonight's beautiful statue. KID knelt in front of the case and worked at the lock until the case popped open for him. He held the case closed with a gloved hand before turning to his growling audience.

"And now, the reason why I have glued you down earlier than usual today is," The man's grin returned and he lifted his hand up. The case opened automatically and the spotlight had full aim at the jewel inside.

Abruptly, the room was stained in a sapphire light, with other rainbow colors glinting off of the jewel in the silver statue.

KID smiled and held up three fingers. "Three," The room grew silent. "Two," Several officers sucked in a breath. "One~!"

The Moonlight Magician was suddenly engulfed in a smoke screen and within a moment, butterflies fluttered away from the smoke and across the room. Their wings sparkled in the sapphire light bathing the room and something that looked like blue pixie dust fell from their small forms.

Conan watched in true awe as the butterflies caught aflame and burned away in midair.

Then, the thief was at the glass case once more, his arms thrown open. "Thank you for taking the time to watch my magic show~!" He bowed humbly.

Abruptly, all hell broke loose as the officers snapped out of their stupefied states and broke free from the floor.

"GET HIM!" Nakamori-keibu roared, and the thief shot his grappling hook upwards. He waved to the officers charging at him with a large grin as the string pulled him upwards.

Conan frowned.

Something was wrong.

This was not an original heist.

The escape method was the same as the time when they were on the hijacked blimp, and the magic show... Conan was certain that he had read about it a while back in the newspaper from another heist.

Luckily, the magician spiced things up a bit with different traps. Some of them were brand new ideas that immediately caught the officers and slowed them down. Conan waited until the thief had left the room to begin the chase. The magician disappeared from his line of sight, and suddenly, he was off.

The new traps were tricky to figure out in the moment he ran into them, and even ended up literally sliding through one. That time, the floor had been completely iced up.

_Now that's more like it! _Conan though excitedly, feeling adrenaline begin to race through his veins. He grinned as he ran freely through the long corridors and up flights of stairs. The building was quite a large one, with confusing twists and turns and dead ends; a lot like a labyrinth. For some reason, this only made Conan grin wider. The concept of a difficult chase seemed to excite him even further.

Suddenly, he caught of glimpse of what he assumed was the corner of a cape billowing around a corner. With a new found burst of energy, the miniature detective ran even faster, recklessly pushing his body harder.

From what he could deduce as of right now, the thief was going to use his favorite method of escape; his hang glider.

In no time at all, the faux child burst through the heavy metal door to the rooftops.

Before him was Kaitou KID, hat pulled down low and cape billowing in the slightly brisk, early May wind. The thief smirked widely when he saw his miniature rival.

"Yo, Tantei-kun~!" The thief cheered. "It's been awhile hasn't it?"

The child frowned. It really had been a while. They had grown much closer during the times that he had supported him and vice versa. However, they usually didn't keep in touch, even though the thief had his number from the Bell Tree Express case.

Conan blinked owlishly. "Huh." He let out after catching his breath. "It actually has. But you're talking to me like you're meeting me for the first time today." The detective pointed out.

KID chuckled. "I just thought I'd make this meeting more dramatic. You know, two rivals meeting on a rooftop, the full moon shining down on them..." He let the sentence hang in the air for a moment. "Well, you had to go and ruin it, but that's okay."

Conan deadpanned. "Sorry for not being as poetic as you are."

"Why thank you. I'm honored by your compliment." The magician grinned cheekily before the familiar _psh_ and _thunk _reached his ears. That wiped the grin clear off his face, and the magician nervously took a step back. Another familiar sound resounded in the air as Conan knelt, a dark aura around him. _Tick tick tick._

"M-Maa, maa, Tantei-kun, let's not get violent, okay? That type of thing is not a healthy habit for youngsters like you." The thief tried and teased.

Shinichi ground his teeth. Even though he knew the man was simply joking, a comment like that stung a bit.

He took in a deep breath and felt the tension leave his shoulders. The tingling feeling in his right foot faded away as the shoe's affect wore off. Conan kicked the ball up with the tip of his shoe and began bouncing it on his knee.

"Ne, KID," he began.

The thief, surprised that he had actually managed to tame his miniature rival, answered with a, "Hmm?"

Conan began bouncing the ball on his head. "What's up..." He asked quietly. It was not a question. "There's something wrong." The detective stuffed his hands in his pockets and bounced the ball off the heel of his foot. "This heist was... different."

KID tilted his head. "How so?" He asked. The teen noted the slight changes in the boy's behavior as he admired the soccer show being given to him.

Conan pursed his lips. "First, you invited Hattori, even though I know you don't really seem to like him too much. Second, your magic show had those flame catching butterflies again, though this time, there was a small twist with the light from the jewel. Third, you glued all of the officers to the floor before you even entered the room with that smoke. Fourth," Shinichi held up four fingers as the ball fell to the floor. He held it still under his foot. "Your escape method with the grappling hook was the same as the time on that blimp."

He frowned. "Should I go on, or are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He stared at the thief who stood with relax shoulders and hand stuffed in his pocket, out of the corner of his eye.

The man let out a little sigh as he sat down on a ledge of the building's rooftop. After a moment, Conan was resting his back against the thief's, both of them staring at the city lights far below them.

"It's not really anything that important." KID frowned, trying to steer his detective away from the topic. He never talked to his detectives like this. It bothered him, but he found himself easily opening up to the miniature detective.

It was most likely because he was a child.

"It is if you're not being original and pulling off a lame chase." Conan deadpanned. "I'm disappointed." He sighed. "I was going to use this to take my mind off things." The faux child said quietly.

KID felt his eyes widen behind his monocle. "'Take your mind off things?'" The thief quoted, prompting an explanation from his friend.

The detective let out a long, tired breath, as though some sort of weight on his shoulders was finally getting to him. "I lost her." He murmured. "My most important person."

KID swallowed thickly, but remained silent.

Suddenly, the detective let out a small laugh that immediately died. As he spoke, underlying bitterness was evident in his tone. "And you told me to keep an eye on her too..." Shinichi was silent for a moment. "You know what's really ironic?"

"Hmm?" KID hummed gently.

"That someone like me never even thought of the possibility that she would _want_ to just... move on. To just... forget it all, you know?" Conan sighed. "And there were so many different things I could say to take her back, but there was no way I could just..." He trailed off for a moment. "Just make her think that what she wants is all a lie. That she was lying to herself to get away from the pain."

KID took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Same here." he said quietly. "I lost her." The thief quoted. "My most important person."

Conan's eyes widened. "Eh?" Was all he could manage.

The magician shifted around a bit, tracing the lights of the city below them with his eyes. "I never confessed to her all this time because of her hatred for KID. I couldn't tell her my feelings when I knew she'd be hurt because of what I'm doing now."

Conan let out a small, ironic chuckle. "I can only think of one person who hates KID like that."

KID ignored this and plowed on. "Because I never confessed, she decided to move on. Now she's dating this new kid that just moved into the neighborhood. He's supposed to be a really sweet guy, but I just don't see it." He commented distastefully.

The smaller of the two chuckled again. "You know, Hattori once told me, 'Humans are suspicious and jealous creatures. When they see something perfect, they wanna find a flaw.' But he said it with his accent and everything, of course."

"That's mean of you, Tantei-kun." KID whined. "I'm not jealous, I just genuinely don't like-" The rumbling sound of many feet pattering and slapping the stairway that led to the roof echoed around them. "Well, that's our cue, Tantei-kun~!" KID stood up at the same time as the miniature detective. "Here," He said, slipping Artemis' Wisdom into his hands.

Conan looked up at him with a frown. "Done with it already?"

"Made sure to get it out of the way before you arrived." KID agreed cheekily, just as the rooftop door slammed open.

Nakamori-keibu stood first, huffing and puffing in an attempt to catch his breath. "KID!" He screamed, pointing accusingly at him. "You won't get away this time!"

KID did a stage bow. "I must thank you for allowing me time with this heist's beautiful maidens, Keibu." He straightened. "But I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave here." The magician sighed almost wistfully, backing up until he was at the ledge of the rooftop.

"Get him!" Nakamori cried, and all forces charged forward.

KID merely grinned before opening his arms wide and falling backwards for a freefall down the museum building's side.

"KID!" Several officers cried in fury and frustration, leaning over the edge to watch as the phantom thief activated his hang glider.

"All squad cars!" Nakamori roared into his walkie talkie. "KID is heading north! Chase him down at all costs!"

Conan looked down at the silvery marble statue of Artemis. She had her arms wrapped around her body, which leaned at an almost 'C' shape. She looked as though she were turning back to see something in the sky with her head tilted upwards, her face a picture of sorrow, and the glowing sapphire in her forehead.

It reminded him of the Blue Wonder KID had taken from Jirokichi a while back.

* * *

That evening, after returning the jewel and going home, Conan found a rose and little note attached on the windowsill in 'his' room.

_For listening to me._

It was a deep pink rose.

* * *

**Again, almost 700 words over 2,000 but I don't really mind. XD Really, I'm sorry for disappearing like that for a while. *smiles sheepishly* I'm a bit of a fandom jumper. **

**Also, I went back and edited the chapters for mistakes, so I guess only the end half of this will have mistakes since I just wrote it. I've also translated all the chapter names in the little drop down box that lets you chose which chapter to read. ;)**

**Deep pink rose: Appreciation, gratitude, "Thank you for being in my life"**

**~Crescent T.**


	7. Impromptu

**Hi~! I know I'm a little late, but I swear it's not because I didn't want to update. I got really sidetracked. I've been watching other shows to really get a feel of a softer, romantic tone to put into my stories. I've seen My Little Monster, Say "I Love You", and a few other stuff. As of right now, I'm watching Golden Time, Fairy Tail, Spice and Wolf, and Toradora. (Too many at once, I know. *cries*)**

**But I really want to be able to update here for you guys as well, so here you are! :)**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Sokkyō**

* * *

**Normal POV**

After KID's heist in early May, time seemed to slow down. He had celebrated his birthday with his current family and the Tantei Dan from school, along with Hakase and Haibara, so now things were coming to a stop in the middle of summer.

Luckily, they only had a few more days left of school before summer vacation, and then maybe Ran would ship everyone out to a fun place. The Izu Islands would be fun to visit again…

Conan was sprawled over the couch, limbs in disarray as he tried to survive the overwhelming heat of summer in Tokyo. The fan was on at full blast, and the windows shut because the only wind that came through was hot wind. The Suzuki girl had waved around her Ojou-sama allowance in Ran's face and convinced her to go to an air-conditioned, ice cream selling, karaoke bar with friends.

...And probably with that new guy from Shizuku that Ran liked.

Conan moaned. If he were a girl he'd jump up and let out a monologue of some sort.

Like, "Oh! How the heat has become so sweltering that I am not even able to take a clean breath! How I wish my sweet prince charming would come with cool drink in hand!"

"As if." Conan snorted, flipping the channels on the tv. All he had to do was get up and check the freezer for ice cream, and if there wasn't any, he'd just stick his head in there. But that mission came with the risk of burning his feet on the floor that had somehow managed to have the heat properties of sand.

The child moaned again, this time flipping over on the couch. He hadn't even bothered taking off the summer uniform from school today with the heat, but now he was seriously reconsidering it. What if he went and found a tank top?

Conan sat up suddenly, finally fed up with the heat and the complaining and the boredom. He was gonna go do something! Something that would stop his brain from melting in this heat!

* * *

"Aoko~!" He whined, panting in the hot air. "Why do I have to come with you guys? I was so happy with my air-conditioned house! Now you're dragging me out in this heat? You're more of a demon than I thought!"

"Shut up, BaKaito! We can't go to the beach because you're too scared, we can't go swimming because the pool is completely packed already, and we can't go to karaoke because you're banned from our usual place!" Aoko replied furiously. They were walking along the streets of Edoka, in hopes of finding some shelter from the heat.

Hakuba, Aoko's friend Keiko, Kobato-kun (the kid Aoko likes now) were tagging along as well. They formed quite the group.

"Just because I used a tiny smoke bomb in the room _one time,_ the Jiji _had_ to ban me! How rude, right?" Kaito complained.

"That's enough!" Aoko suddenly said. The group paused in their walk. "Kaito, if you're just gonna complain the whole time you're here, then just leave! And here I thought we were all gonna be able to have some fun before everyone goes their separate ways for summer vacation, but I see you don't want to have anything to do with that!" Aoko's baby blue eyes hardened as she furiously told him off, balling her fists at her sides.

"Aoko-chan…" Keiko anxiously pushed up her glasses.

"Fine then!" Kaito ground out through clenched teeth. "I'll leave since I just seem to be causing too much trouble for you!"

"Wait, what's this? A fight?" A woman whispered to her friend as they walked by.

"In the middle of the road?"

"How has enough energy for this when it's so hot!"

Kaito glanced around before turning on his heel. "I'm sorry Aoko, but I'll have to see you around another time." He said as a goodbye before taking off.

What was wrong with him today…?

* * *

Conan powered up his skateboard, knowing that using it was like riding a bike without as much effort. There was a lot of sun out and he could easily cool off.

He grinned as he zoomed down the streets at high speed, not caring where he was headed as long as he felt free and cooled down.

Sometimes, this thing made him feel like he was smile, and he had Hakase to thank for it.

He kept soaring through the streets like this until sun down, his mind on nothing but the refreshing breeze that came with speed. Eventually however, as the streets emptied out and people began heading inside, he stopped. With his grin melting down to a satisfied smile, Conan powered off the skateboard and stepped down onto the sidewalk. Every step he took left him feeling like he wasn't actually on the sidewalk, but still on the skateboard. It was like spending a day on roller coasters and then laying down for bed; you still felt like you were dropping from some high place.

He glanced around at the street signs, not recognizing any of them. "Oops." He hugged his skateboard closer to his side. "There's no way that I'm lost now, right?" He laughed flatly.

All he needed to do in situations like these was to search for a person who would give him directions or a familiar landmark.

No one was on the road at the moment, so he looked around in search of a familiar park, building, or town square. As he searched, he came across a familiar clock tower.

"Ah…" Conan sighed with relief. "I'm all the way in Edoka, then?" He said to himself, walking towards the clock tower. He had only seen the clock once in his life before, when he was still Shinichi. It had happened when he was still new to solo detective work: his first heist against Kaitou KID, not that KID himself knew.

He followed the pale grey sidewalks and passed all the cherry blossom trees that had turned their leaves green. It was summer so sun down meant that it was getting pretty late, and small businesses began to close shop as he headed toward the clock. He knew that he'd be able to find his way back to the agency easily if he could start from there.

When he arrived, the park that surrounded the clock was mostly empty. Moms were picking up their stubborn children and taking them home. The park was bathed in a fiery orange color that he hadn't seen in a long time.

He shuffled over to the swing set, where one last person remained. It was a young man, with his head hung low as he sat in the swing. Conan shuffled over and sat a few swings away, not quite ready to go home just yet.

After all, this guy carried a familiar aura around him that made him comfortable and that piqued his interest.

"Hi! I'm Kuroba Kaito! A magician!" A cluster of musk roses was thrown in his face. The guy that had seemed so down just a moment ago was now cheerful and upbeat.

"Wow, Oniisan!" Conan acted out the part of a child perfectly. "That's amazing!" He said as he took the flowers. "Am I allowed to keep these?" He asked with a innocent smile.

"Yes, of course!" Kaito replied smoothly.

They talked about his magic tricks for a little bit before everything settled down. "By the way, Conan-kun," Kaito began.

"Hmm?" Conan hummed in reply.

"Are you lost, by any chance?"

Conan froze, quickly becoming stone.

"I was right?"

Another stab to the heart.

"That's okay, I'll walk you home!" Kaito said, grabbing Conan's hand and dragging him out of the dark park. "Which way?"

"Umm…" Conan wrinkled his brow. "You don't have to do this, you know! I live all the way in Beika, so…"

"Beika? That's not too far!" Kaito said, holding onto his new friend's hand and taking him back home.

"Ah, but I wouldn't want to be too much trouble…"

"Don't worry! I live right on the outskirts of Edoka, so this way is actually going home for me too!" Kaito smiled down at his companion.

And this, of course, was how Edogawa Conan became friends with the public persona of Kaitou KID, Kuroba Kaito.

Or, Kuroba-niisan, as he would be known from now on.

* * *

**Tada! A short chapter, but more about what is really happening here will be revealed next chapter, so yay! I hope you enjoyed, and leave a review for me please? I want to know if i did a good job of capturing the characters since it's been a while since I last wrote them all. :)**

**Cluster of musk roses: charming. **

**~Crescent T.**


	8. Farewell

**Hiya! I got bored so I decided to write again. I'll have to thank the new anime I started watching for inspiration: Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. It's a spinoff of Junjo Romantica. ;) ;)**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews last time. I'll be answering some questions below, so if you don't really care, then feel free to scroll down. ^^ **

**twilightserius: Thank you for your compliment, and no, I won't be letting Kaito see the strings of fate as well. After all, Shinichi can only see them due to a certain something he **_**always**_** has in his possession. ;) ;)**

**TsunaMoe: Ah, I see your confusion. When I said summer uniforms, I meant that Conan is still in elementary school and Kaito is in high school, which would allow both of them to be wearing those. As for the years, I'm making them just a bit older than they are in the anime/manga right now. The next school year will be first year of middle school for Conan and last year of high school (third) for Kaito. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Name: O Wakare**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Haibara rang the Mouri Detective Agency's doorbell. It was almost noon and she had promised the Tantei Dan she'd pick up Conan before they met up at the movie theater to see the new Kamen Yaiba movie.

"Conan-kun, don't forget to keep me updated okay?!" Ran called as her little brother tumbled down the steps in a frenzy.

"Hai!" He called back before turning around to face Haibara who was slowly coming down the steps behind him. "I'll see you later, Ran-neechan!" The small child called with a wave.

Ran smiled winningly at him before stepping back into the house. Haibara kept her eyes trained on Conan, however, to find out if he still felt pain while talking to her. Shinichi still wore his same grin, but she could certainly see that his moving on from her was giving him more freedom and less stress. His smiles had become more boyish and carefree recently, but she could still sense a bitter-sweet twinge of pain in his attitude.

Well since there didn't seem to be anything to worry about, she wouldn't say anything.

"You've already changed." The strawberry blonde commented. "Moving on from her has already made you less stressful and worried." She smirked, "Well, at least you don't really seem like a little schoolgirl worried about her crush anymore."

"Oi!" Conan blushed red. "Don't say that. I was never like a schoolgirl." He denied. They slowed their pace a bit as Conan thought a bit more. "I haven't moved on. Not really." He corrected. "That kind of thing doesn't happen so fast, you know? But it has definitely gotten better. I can talk to her normally and look her in the eye, which is a huge step forward from before." He smiled at Haibara a bit. "There hasn't been any worrying from my side of things, that much is right."

He looked down at Conan's signature red shoes and then up at the same sky he had known all of his life. "To be perfectly honest, I haven't really found a reason to turn back into Kudou Shinichi."

"Eh?" Haibara felt shocked. Was he going to do the same thing she was and start all over? After all this time, he was changing his mind so easily? "Why?" Was all she could muster.

"I don't think things would ever be the same if I did." He let out as they paused at a street light. "My parents don't care if I become Shinichi or if I stay Conan. I wouldn't really have any friends as Shinichi because everyone will have already moved on from me. Going back to school would be tough because I'd have to catch back up with everyone if I want to graduate next year." Conan continued to list off his reasons. "I can still solve cases as Conan, and this time, I'll do it without all the arrogance and naivety I had as Shinichi. I'd do things right."

"What about the people who are waiting for you to come back?" Haibara asked slowly, forcing her dry tongue to move.

"I have a really good feeling that Ran knows that Conan and Shinichi are one and the same. She's never said anything, but ever since the dump, she's been treating me a bit differently. Other than her, there was no one really waiting for me to come back. After all, I was social, but I never had any close friends but Ran." His glasses glinted in the bright summer sun, hiding his eyes from her view.

"She knows? After all this time that we've been trying to keep her safe from _them_?" Haibara demanded. "Then everything you did- no, _we_ did- was for nothing all those times!"

He stopped in the road a few paces ahead of her and faced her head on, the people around them flowing past the pair like endless streams of water. His head was tilted down slightly to the sidewalk, and his eyes were still hidden by his glasses.

He smiled bitterly. "Not really for 'nothing' per se, because you did gain a lot of information for your research." He said, coaxing her to see the bright side. "Besides, I only said I had a hunch, not confirmed information. So as long as Ran doesn't act on what she's learned, or opens her mouth, she'll be completely safe."

"If not even I know for sure, then _they_ won't either." He added.

Ai felt herself freeze up and she opened her mouth to retort quickly. "Why won't you understand that _they'll_ kill anyone if they have even an inkling of suspicion?! _They'll_ kill her without any hesitation." She warned, vibrant teal orbs darkening to a musky aquamarine.

"No, that face off between the FBI and _them_ at the Agency a while back has erased their suspicions of the Mouri Detective Agency. In fact, I think _they're_ still more concerned with figuring out where _that person_ has disappeared to and how they'll face the FBI." Conan replied, easing her worries.

...She'd accept his answer for now.

"Anyway, let's not talk about this in public. We can talk more at another time."

"No wait," Haibara said quickly as she walked to where he was. "Are you sure you don't want to change back? What about the police? They'll start searching for you and waiting for you to come back, right?" She asked.

Conan let out a small laugh. "Now that Ran and I have stopped talking, they won't know if Shinichi is still alive. All I have to do is wait a year and he'll be announced dead. Plus, they have Conan now." He smiled at her. "And since all of the most important people around me know where I am, no one will really mourn. They'll all be alright, since I'm right here."

In Haibara's mind, something didn't feel right. "Are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to change your mind because of something small after 'Kudou-san' has died."

"It doesn't really matter right now." He shrugged. "I'll have ten more months to decide, since I last talked to Ran two months ago."

"That's true…" Haibara trailed off, noticing that the theater was a few blocks ahead.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" He asked, flashing one of his grins.

She hummed in response, an unsettling feeling beginning to swim in her chest.

As Conan ran ahead to greet their friends, Haibara stayed behind, not being the type to run.

_You always say "don't worry". You always hide yourself behind those glinting glasses. _She raised her head to see him happily talking with the other children, revealing her pale teal orbs. _You won't let me see past that smile and those glasses anymore._

_When, I wonder, was it that you began to shut me out as well?_

* * *

Kaito opened the double doors and let Aoko in first. He was taking her out to apologize for and explain his rude behavior the other day. She was accepting his apology, but not his explanation just yet.

"The truth is…" He sighed. "I feel... jealous." Kaito mumbled, looking down at his feet. "I know you've noticed it too; that ever since Kobata-san came here, we've been so distant."

Aoko's eyes widened in shock. "Kaito… Aoko _has_ noticed that we haven't been the same lately, but that was _way_ before Kobata-kun transferred." She replied. "Lately, Aoko feels like you're next to her, but… you're _not_." The girl ran a hand through her hair with a sigh, struggling to find the words she was looking for. "One day, Aoko looked into your eyes and found out that she didn't know _who_ exactly she was looking at anymore."

Kaito felt something stab him in the chest and he clenched his fists. He _knew_ that he had changed. He hadn't expected to be Kaitou KID this long without finding Pandora. The things he saw, the things he experienced, struggling to find his father's murderer… they were beginning to harden his heart even more than they had before- when all he was concerned about living his life to the fullest and becoming a magician. Just like his late father.

Aoko was right. Probably. They weren't that close anymore and it was his fault. Was he really going to lose all of his loved ones to KID? Was flying in the darkness of night in his pristine costume as the Moonlight Magician worth giving up all of _this_?

… But then again, what exactly was "this"? He loved Aoko, he knew that, but was he really going to drag her and her father down with him?

No, he didn't want to tie them to him.

"You're right, Aoko. I'm sorry." He hung his head. "We're not the same, but I still have to tell you." Kaito steeled himself and looked deep into Aoko's eyes. "I loved you. I still do, but I don't know if it's in the same way or if it'll work out."

Aoko turned firetruck red for a moment but composed herself with a womanly smile. "Aoko-" She paused. "_I_ loved you too, Kaito." The mature teen answered with clear eyes. "But I don't think it'll work out the way both of us wanted it to. I think it's better to just move on and go back to being best friends at this point, like we always were." She replied.

Kaito nodded, his head still hung down low and fists still clenched tightly at his sides.

Aoko took several steps forward until she was close and placed a small hand to his cheek. Kaito looked up slowly, those violet orbs swimming with pain, conflict, and longing. She smiled gently and then stood on her tip toes to place a small kiss on his cheek.

Kaito put his head in the crook of her neck for a moment to hide his expression, but his hands continued move. Taking a step away, the magician let out a puff of smoke before presenting a kind of daisy, another pink flower, a white flower, and a sweet pea- his sad eyes never changing.

Aoko took them into her hands with confusion, but when she looked up, he was gone.

...

...

...

She didn't chase after him this time.

* * *

**Michaelmas Daisy: Farewell**

** Sweet Pea: Departure, delicate pleasures**

**Trumpet Flower: Separation**

**White Poplar: Time (in this case "I need time")**

** TBC**

** ~Crescent T.**


	9. Ai's Theme

**Hello again, minna-san. ^^ I'm sorry that chapter eight seemed to have such an abrupt ending, but I must say…**

**It's not over just yet. *secretive smile***

* * *

**Chapter Name: _Ai's Theme_**

* * *

**Normal POV**

She had taken the time to think long and hard about recent developments in her life- more specifically, a certain event two weeks ago and a certain detective with it.

The strawberry blonde crossed her legs and adjusted her lab coat a bit as the various computer screens around her blinked to life. She carefully nudged large stack of books to the side with her foot, noticing that the area around her workspace was starting to get too cluttered for her liking.

There were boxes with various items scattered around for use by both the Hakase and herself. Her computers were still quite old since she only had them thanks to the Hakase, so several floppy disks with writing and sticky notes were sitting on her desk. Empty coffee and tea mugs were set in various places as she absentmindedly pushed them aside in her work. Scattered papers and binders, different colored extension cords, and stacks of disks were also cluttering her desk and she felt small irritation begin to itch at the back of her mind.

She would take the next few days of summer vacation to thoroughly organize the basement.

What bothered her most, however, was not the clutter- it was the opposite, in fact. Beside her old yellow cushioned swivel chair and her main computer lied a very well-kept spot. It was devoid of any clutter.

Haibara frowned. That was the spot _he _tended to sit, no matter how many times she warned him that the desk was barely holding up the computers. _He _would always jump up there anyway, tucking a leg in and laying a book across his lap as he grinned cheekily at her.

He had once held up a floppy disk as she took a sip from her tea, her head resting on her hand as she watched him.

"_You still use these?" _He had asked with a grimace.

"_Excuse me for not being as caught up with technology as the rest of Japan, but these are the Hakase's computers, not mine." _She had huffed in return.

He didn't wear any glasses that time, but had instead brought over various belongings of Kaitou KID and a new heist notice.

_That had been _before_ he started pushing me away. _She thought with a sigh.

He had always been able to tell what she was thinking just by looking at her stoic or uncaring expressions, and she had also been able to do the same for him.

Two weeks ago, however, things changed. He had started brushing her off whenever she asked about his thoughts. It wasn't as though he stopped telling her things that happened in his daily life, but the fact remained that the faux child stopped telling her his _interpretations_ on them.

Her teal eyes roamed the various screens around her, reading the progress she had made with her last experiment on her poison. It was very little, but it was a small step forward.

_Perhaps,_ she thought, _I'm being too optimistic about this? I created the poison- no, polished it would be more precise- but what if I truly can't figure out an antidote? _

She quickly pushed those thoughts away. She had already been through that phase and he had been at her side to dispel all of her doubts. Could it be that they were returning now that he was no longer here to support her?

_Well, humans are like that, I suppose. None of us are truly independent of other people. _She sighed as she sat back in her chair, thoughts of recent developments, the poison, and her personal life whirring around in her mind.

A small, foolish part of her was _happy_ that he had chosen to stay Conan. She didn't want to be too separated from him after all they had been through, which she assumed was normal because they were human and humans tended to get attached. But that attachment had blossomed into something new in her chest. A different feeling.

_Attraction._

She had realized her feelings not too long ago, but buried them deep within her because she knew he would never give up _that girl_. Now that she was out of the picture, would she have a chance? That small, foolish part of her was screaming, "Yes! Go for it! You can do it!"

She buried her head in her knees with a hint of embarrassment tinting her cheeks. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Not since before the Organization. Haibara wanted to slap that voice and tell it to never speak to her again, but it would always sit there in the back of her mind, endlessly taunting her.

In several attempts to banish her feelings before they could grow any further, she had asked herself "What's the point?" Nevertheless, her feelings would not die, despite the several concrete answers she had found to eliminate them.

Perhaps at this point, simply giving in to the voice, failing, and getting her heart broken would be the only way to move on. That much she knew and understood already.

She spun in her chair with a small, childish smile painted on her lips, not disgusted with her young schoolgirl behavior at all. It came with the young body and mind.

So no matter what she did, there was always a small glimmer of hope in her heart that he would one day look at her the same way he had Mouri-chan.

_Maybe… just maybe, this might not be too bad. This could actually be… _Haibara ejected the floppy disk in the computer with the push of a button and a small smile.

_ Interesting._

* * *

**Ohohohohoho~! Did you think I was just going to let the ShinKai ship happen so easily? Nuh uh, not on Haibara's watch.**

**In other words, PLOT TWIST! *pops confetti* **

**Plot twists are my favorite. XD**

**~Crescent T.**


	10. The Moment

**Wahh, I'm sorry I've neglected this story for so long! I get too lazy when I try to pile writing on top of my homework load… -_-**

**I really would've updated much earlier if I hadn't spent so much time being sick over this spring break of mine. X'D**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Shunkan**

* * *

**Normal POV**

Conan woke up to a folded card taped to his forehead in his house. Subaru had gone on a vacation from the note he had seen on the table in the dining room, so the mansion was empty again. Despite the fact that he should most probably be on high alert, Conan had a distinct feeling who the note belonged to.

"Edogawa Conan-sama," It began.

"You have been invited to attend a magic show with the stars on the night when the moon embraces the fruit of the hardworking. I shall dance with the most beautiful star of all.

~Kaitou KID *caricature*"

The faux child sat up with a smirk. "Well that's a new way to start the morning…" He murmured with a chuckle as he climbed out of bed. In a few more days, the new term would begin. By next spring, his life would change again. KID's heists and fancy notices kept him on his toes and acted like a constant in his world; something he desperately needed to cling to.

Unlike others, he had no intention to capture KID. It would be a shame to do so, but choosing not to send him off to jail was a battle between his heart and his sense of justice. Sometimes he just wished the two would be more in sync.

Conan opened the window to his room and let the breeze in before getting dressed and heading downstairs for coffee and toast- detective essentials. He was spending time at his home for the last few days of summer break, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't as if he was having a hard time living in the Mouri household anymore; he was comfortable there again (though it had taken a month). Maybe he just wanted to spend a few days away from everything before he had to return to being a child again- something he seemed to be doing more and more often.

He needed to relax before someone became suspicious.

Shinichi shook the thoughts out of his head, believing it was better to think about it later and focus on the next heist for now. He was having an ominous feeling in his gut, but he had figured out most of the note already, so he wasn't sure what was wrong. Shinichi ran a hand through his hair as a rush of air pushed past his lips; he was restless.

He remained in thought as his hands automatically moved to make his coffee and toast for the morning. It was still early and it didn't surprise him when Haibara walked into the kitchen like she owned the place.

"Oh, you're awake." She murmured, though her expression wasn't very surprised. "I was going to wake you up but you weren't in your room."

"Wake me up? Why? Is there something going on today?" Shinichi asked as the toaster spit out his breakfast with a ding. He threw the toast onto the waiting plate before standing next to the coffee maker. "And do you want anything?"

"Kudou-kun, if you drink that much coffee, you won't grow back to your original height." Haibara warned with a deadpanned expression. "And no thank you." She answered as she sat down at the table. "Hakase has to make a delivery in Edoka to a friend who ordered some new gadgets for today and since _I'm _going, you are too."

"No question about it, huh." Shinichi sighed as he sat down at the table as well.

"We both know you need to get out and do something before summer break ends- solve another murder or something." Haibara waved a hand. "Those seem to happen a lot when you go out."

"Tell me about it," Shinichi muttered into his coffee. "Fine, I'll go with you. Hopefully there's no murder." He tacked onto the end before munching on his toast. "Where was this again?" He asked.

"Some billiards bar into Edoka. Blue something." The strawberry blond answered. "It was in English."

"Huh…" Shinichi cocked a brow into his coffee.

"What?" Haibara asked with slight annoyance.

"Maa, don't get into a mood," Shinichi sweatdropped. "I was just thinking that Occhan once solved a case at bar like that."

"You solved it." Haibara corrected.

"Sure." Shinichi agreed with a shrug. "But Occhan did a surprising amount of work that time. Probably to impress the barista who called it in."

Haibara let a little smile escape at that. "Are you done yet?" She asked, gesturing to his empty plate. "The Hakase sent me while he was getting ready to leave, you know."

Shinichi chugged the rest of his coffee down. "We're going now?" He rasped before banging on his chest with a fist to keep himself from choking.

"Yes, now."

"I should've known from your outfit- I just assumed you were being dressy today." He muttered as he gathered the cup and plate and headed over to the sink.

"Haa?" Haibara growled out.

"I didn't mean that offensively!" Shinichi hurriedly corrected himself. "It looks nice! I was talking more about the little purse you have hanging on your side." He responded as he let some water run over the dishes. He quickly washed and dried them before finding his cellphone and tucking it into his pocket.

He met Haibara at the front door. "All set?" She asked before he nodded and they walked out of the house. Shinichi locked the door behind them and they walked over to Hakase's.

They found the man bent over the trunk of his yellow beetle. "Oh ho!" He grinned when he saw them. "Ai-kun and Shinichi-kun!" He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I just finished putting the last box into the car." He walked over to the pair. "Are you ready to go?"

Shinichi grinned up the man, his cheerful attitude somewhat contagious. "Yup, all set." He answered. Hakase opened the door to the front seat and climbed into the buggy. Haibara and Shinichi took the back seat.

"Oh yeah, does Ran-san know you won't be home again today?" The Hakase asked to make sure as they drove.

"Yeah, she knows. I'm going back tomorrow though." Shinichi answered as he relaxed into the seat.

"That's good," Hakase murmured as they made a turn.

"So this billiards place we're going to," Shinichi prompted. "How do you know the owner?"

Hakase let out a small laugh. "It was a magic show, actually." He answered. "Over eight years ago, I think."

Shinichi nodded. "Eeeh, that's a pretty long time."

"That's right. Konnosuke-san was the assistant to this spectacular magician at a meeting for entrepreneurs and I was there." He said. "It was a great show for a nice little dinner, and it was really just a great way to push all of the gadgets we had given the magician to their limits."

"And then?" Haibara prompted, somewhat interested in the story as well.

"My gadget exploded."

Shinichi's eyes widened before he burst out laughing. Haibara stared at Hakase with surprise, who was now fidgeting in his seat.

"Maa." Hakase let out. "It was a prototype!" He supplied.

"Nde?" Shinichi prompted with a sparkle in his eye.

"Well it exploded in Konnosuke-san's hands during the show, so afterwards I helped clean up and apologize. The magician eventually came around and _thanked_ me for adding some more excitement to his show. I had never been so surprised at a person's reaction to my inventions before." Hakase plowed on. "After that, Konnosuke-san always came to ask me for more gadgets for the magician's shows."

"So that's how it happened." Haibara nodded.

"Hmm," Hakase's brow crinkled a bit. "All of a sudden though, he stopped contacting me. It was for a long time too, that's why I was really surprised when he called me again a while ago."

"Ehh," Shinichi hummed as they drove into Edoka's district. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Hakase shrugged lightly. "All I remember was that Konnosuke-san said that he was going to start doing magic again. The next time he called me though, he seemed a lot more cheerful about the whole thing. I'm happy things seem to be going well for him." The Hakase smiled as the buggy slowed down. "It should be somewhere around here; a bar called Blue Parrot."

'_Just as I thought,' _Conan smiled. _'The same bar Occhan helped out a while ago.'_

"Isn't that it right there?" Haibara pointed out in her usual bored tone.

"Eh?" Hakase turned. "Oh you're right!"

After struggling to find a parking place and figuring out a way to bring all the boxes inside in one go, the group stumbled into the unsurprisingly barren bar.

"Of course it would be empty in the morning." Conan muttered to himself.

"Konnosuke-san!" Hakase called.

"Hai!" An aged voice called from a back room somewhere. In the next moment, an elderly man with a round head popped out of the door behind the bar. "Agasa-hakase!" He smiled wide. "It's nice to see you again!" He noticed the two children at his knees.

Conan felt the man's stare linger on him for a moment too long. "And who are these little ones?" He hummed.

"These are my assistants for the day," Hakase smiled. "Edogawa Conan-kun and Haibara Ai-kun."

"Ehh," The man smiled as he took the boxes from their hands and set them on the counter. "Nice to meet you. My name is Konnosuke Jii."

"Nice to meet you too!" Conan grinned up cheerfully as Haibara chimed in flatly.

"Oi, Jii-chan," Another voice came from behind the bar, slightly annoyed. "I can't find the sulfur compon…" A teenager said as he walked through the door, but his sentence died when his eyes landed on the guests.

"Ah, Bocchama, this is Agasa-hakase. He's the man I usually depend on for the show supplies." The bar owner smoothly introduced. "And these are his assistants, Edogawa Conan-san and Haibara Ai-san." He turned to the group of three.

"Ehh," The teenager made an interested noise. "Thank you so much for all your hard work." He bowed to Agase-hakase who quickly put his hands up.

"No no, it's fine." He repeatedly said until the teen lifted his head again.

A mop of messy brown hair that resembled a bird's nest and vibrant, clear indigo eyes with a familiar glint. Conan felt his breath stutter through his lungs.

He knelt down to the children, his gaze lingering when he locked eyes with them. "Hello," He said softly, holding an open palm out to them. He slowly turned it into a fist before flowers popped out.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito; a magician!"

* * *

**So I recently watched the newer version of Magic Kaito 1412 (the one where Conan DOESN'T cameo in every episode with that crazy stalker grin) and I completely fell in love with the idea of Blue Parrot being Kaitou KID's HQ. So I just kinda sent Conan off to there. **

**And yea, I remember that the two of them have already met. No worries! This was mostly groundwork for later chapters! You'll see. :)**

**Also, I haven't written the Hakase in a while, so I kinda feel like he's a little off. 8.8 But I'll refresh it when I get around to watching the newer DC episodes. ^-^**

**~Crescent T.**


	11. With the Wind

**Hi again everyone! Finals are finally over, summer is here, and time is in abundance! FREEDOM TO UPDATE HAS COME! *punches fist into air while on fire***

**Conan: Maa, at least we'll be getting more progress *kicks out chair from under author***

**Kaito:*catches author* Conan-kun, that's not nice. You should be kinder to your nee-san.**

**Author: Sou, sou! *huffs* Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! *holds hand out* ...Man I've always wanted to do an entrance like that!**

**Kaito: It's still rolling, Tenshi-san.. -_-"**

* * *

**Chapter Name: Kaze to Tomoni**

* * *

**Normal POV**

_**Previously: **__Conan, Haibara, and Hakase have gone to the billiards bar Blue Parrot to deliver new gadgets to Konnosuke Jii, an old friend. Surprisingly, Conan and Haibara meet a certain magician… and elusive thief._

_"I'm Kuroba Kaito; a magician!"_

* * *

Conan stared for a moment, only coming out of his trance when Haibara reached for a flower. "Thank you, Onii-san." She smiled sweetly.

"Nice to meet you too, Ai-chan." He smiled, but his gaze went to Conan. "But.. this isn't the first time we've met, is it? I wonder if you remember me?"

Conan nodded dumbly. "It's been a little while, Kaito-nii."

"Ah, you know each other?" Konnosuke smiled warmly. "How nice."

Kaito smiled up at his assistant, and some sort of understanding that the others could not catch passed between them. "Remember that day I had a small show in the park for the children? Conan-kun showed up there, lost, and I helped him get home. Right, Conan-kun?" He smiled down at the child as he stood up from his kneeling position.

Like the child he was, Conan-kun smiled disarmingly. "Un! Kaito-nii was a _biiiiigg_ help!" He exaggeratedly threw his arms up into the air and made a circle on the word 'big'.

"Is that so?" The Hakase laughed. "Well, that's good."

Konnosuke spoke up after a brief moment. "Bocchama, please take care of our little guests while Agasa-Hakase and take to the new gadgets."

"Sure," Kaito smiled as the two elderly men went to the back room.

As soon as they disappeared Haibara and Conan jumped away from Kaito, who stood smiling innocently with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Kaito KID…" Conan breathed.

"It's been a while, Tantei-kun," He smiled coyly. He saw the resolution behind those glinting glasses; there was no denying his identity.

Conan sighed and dropped his arm from where it was in front of Haibara. "You say that but you were at the Kudou place this morning too, weren't you?"

Kaito shrugged nonchalantly, but Conan could sense the tension in his muscles. "Well, when I found out you weren't at Mouri-chan's place, I had to investigate."

Conan dropped his guard and sighed with annoyance before shoving his hands into his pockets. "I've already solved it, by the way… Your notice"

"Hmm?" Kaito smiled tauntingly. "But before that, please take a seat," He invited, gesturing to the bar stools. "Jii-chan told me to play a good host, after all."

Not seeing a point in declining, Conan went ahead, feeling Haibara follow close behind. She climbed up with ease with a boost from Conan, who then struggled to climb on his own. Kaito reached over, grabbed the faux child by the scruff of his neck, and set him onto the chair.

Conan swatted his hand away with an annoyed expression. "So what would you like?" Kaito began, a glint in his eye being the only warning to what he was going to say. "Milk? Juice?"

Haibara sent him a large glare that immediately reminded the thief of her presence. "Water will be just fine, thank you."

"Geh…" Kaito abruptly remembered his last encounter with the girl. "You're the scary one." He muttered before filling a glass with water to give it to the girl.

He'd almost put something more in it- just to tease. His conscience warned him of Tantei-kun, however, with his sharp gaze that watched his every move and seemed to be daring him to pull something.

Sighing, Kaito filled the glass in front of the both of them so they could see he meant to harm. Not one to cede so easily, however, the showman made sure to pour the water from the pitcher now being held way above his head to create a soft, glittering arc of water.

It was amazing what illusions could bring. And they seemed to surround Kaito.

"I'm fine without anything." Conan commented the next second. Kaito inclined his head in acknowledgement as he pushed the glass forward to Haibara.

"Nde?" Kaito leaned on his elbows, a soft smirk dancing across his lips. "You were saying?"

"Right, the note." Conan said as soon as he remembered his last offhand comment. "Well, you started with 'you are invited to attend a magic show with the stars', which I didn't think anymore about, but then you said 'on the night when the moon embraces the fruit of the hardworking', which obviously means the harvest moon." Conan summarized as Haibara sipped from her glass, silently listening. "Then you finished with 'I shall dance with the most beautiful star of all', meaning the Emerald Etude, correct?"

The child did not wait for the thief to answer, but plowed forward. "It has to be that because that is the most famous emerald 'star' in Japan at the moment. Once you have that, it's simple to find out where the jewel is being held: Suzuki Star Hotel."

Kaito made a finger gun and fired it. In a puff of smoke and a 'bang' from the grinning magician, a small red flag erupted from his fingers exclaiming 'correct!' in white font. "Ping pong~! Seikai~!" He grinned.

Conan rolled his eyes and jabbed a thumb in Haibara's direction. "I didn't get a chance to do any research before I was dragged out of the house by this demon girl- OW!" Conan reached down and cupped his throbbing ankle. "Don't kick me Haibara, geez."

"Maybe you shouldn't call someone a demon." She replied smartly before taking another dainty sip of her water with a huff.

_I didn't call 'someone' a demon; I called you one. _Conan thought with an irritated stare.

Kaito was chuckling. "So, onee-sama over here took you out, you were saying?" He winked flirtatiously at the strawberry blonde, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Before I got the chance to do anymore research." Conan repeated with a nod. "Is this hotel owned by Jirokichi, by any chance?"

Kaito contemplated answering or forcing the child to do his own research later and changing the topic. "Surprisingly not, this time. That's what I thought when I was researching too, but it looks like the name 'Suzuki' is living up to its commonality."

Conan nodded thoughtfully.

"Anyway," Kaito began, ready to steer the subject away from the next heist before he gave away too much information. It was hard to resist baby faces. "How did you know it was me? You didn't seem to notice last time." He pointed out.

Conan cocked his head, a cute gesture Kaito noted. "I wasn't paying attention to that last time. I was much more busy trying to figure out where I was and how to get home."

"How come you got lost?"

"I was thinking when I was riding that skateboard and I didn't realize how far I had gone." Conan answered simply. "And I only knew it was you because I've seen you in civilian clothing twice now, so I knew what to expect. When you introduced yourself as a magician using that same trick you had tried to use to flirt with Ran," Annoyed glare here. " I was certain."

"Geh, I'd better come up with a few more introduction magics for you." The teen commented at the next moment. "By the way… we seem to be ignoring the real question here," Conan and Haibara both perked up. "Aren't you going to arrest me, now that you know my true identity?"

Haibara allowed her gaze to slide over to Conan and sputtered when she read his expression. Kaito fixed her with a curious stare. "Ara ne, you're actually having trouble deciding, Tantei-san?" She cocked a brow at him sarcastically and he met her with a conflicted gaze.

"...Thievery is not my division." Was all he had to say for himself.

"Hoh~?" KID leaned forward, his gleaming smirk saying everything in one look. Those indigo eyes swirling with everything he wanted to say. "Then why do you come to the heists, _Tantei-kun_?" He asked in a low voice.

Lost, Conan looked up with a kicked puppy expression. "I don't know." _And wow he is going to make me very sexually confused- wait what?!_

Conan flinched at his own thoughts and was suddenly very _very_ hyperaware of the String of Fate he had been ignoring since he walked in. The same String of Fate that had been hovering for his attention at the edge of his conscience since they had parked the Hakase's yellow beetle.

He traced the string with his eyes from his pinky to the magician's pinky finger with a mixture of fear and awe.

Kaito, on the other hand, had enjoyed the slight blush that had painted itself over the child's cheeks and nose. Now _that_ was something he wouldn't mind seeing more often. At the moment however, his attention was captivated by the array of expressions flitting over the tiny detective's face, each telling a story.

He absentmindedly noted that the child let his Poker Face slip quite a bit.

At that moment, the Hakase and Konnosuke walked back into the room.

"I must thank you again, Agasa Hakase." Konnosuke was saying. "As usual, the gadgets you prepared for us were splendid and passed all of the tests with flying colors."

Slightly embarrassed, the Hakase scratched the back of his head. "It really is nothing; I enjoyed making them."

"I didn't enjoy the explosions." Haibara muttered into her glass of water. Realizing she had kept the drink in her hand for quite a while, the girl swallowed the rest down and set the drink on the bar counter again.

"I may be calling you for your help again soon, Hakase." Konnosuke grinned warmly.

"At that time, I'll hope to be of assistance." The Hakase grinned back and shook the man's hand. "We've taken up enough of your time for the day. We should take our leave now."

"Ah, is that so? Well then I shouldn't keep you. Bocchama, can you please show our guests out while I tidy up for opening?" Konnosuke asked.

"Sure, Jii-chan." Kaito nodded and led the group to the bar's main entrance. "I'll see you around, Conan-kun, Ai-chan." He grinned. The children nodded and walked to the door while Kaito spoke to the elderly man left. "And thanks for coming, Hakase. It means a lot to me that you're one of the reasons why I can still perform around here." Kaito said earnestly and quietly.

"It's no problem, Kaito-kun. I'm glad to help. Making gadgets seems to be all I'm good for these days." The man laughed at himself before walking out after the children.

The faux children walked in silence with their elderly guardian before crossing the street and clambering into their yellow beetle.

"Well…" Conan said after the car turned the corner away from the Blue Parrot.

"I'm sorry, you guys must have been bored. I didn't expect Kaito-kun to be there. You wouldn't have needed to continue acting like children." The Hakase said guiltily.

"Ara, there was no need for that either, ne, Kudou-kun?" Haibara smirked slyly.

"Eh? What do you mean?" The Hakase asked as Conan sunk deeper into his chair with slight dread.

"It seems that Kaito-niichan and Conan-kun know each other from other meetings." The strawberry blonde began. "He didn't treat us as children at all, but as equals."

"At least intellectually." Conan tacked on. "He doesn't know who we are, but he doesn't treat us like children either… I guess he just thinks we're child prodigies or something, because he still teases here and there."

"Well…" The Hakase began uneasily. "As long as you're careful, Conan-kun…"

Conan nodded once before the conversation died and he leaned his head against the car window to relax.

His mind remained captivated by a certain magician of the moonlight.

And little did he know, that same magician was deep in thought at the same time… about a miniature and mysterious detective who hid behind glinting glasses.

* * *

**Tehe, I ended that pretty well and threw a little plot development in there too. ;) I'm getting better and better all the time! XD Btw, I threw the "previously" thing up there just as a refresher because I haven't updated in a while… so it should have helped. Tell me if you like it~!**

**As usual, leave a review telling me how I did today! It's much appreciated. :)**

**~Crescent T.**


	12. What Beautiful Stars

**Hi again~! I'm so sorry that my updates are slow. :( I was going to update in August, but I joined the swim team. Now that I've quit (for family reasons), I'll have more time to write, I think. I mean I just watched Lupin III vs Detective Conan, just because, and now I'm SUPER pumped to write more for you all~! :D **

**Please enjoy~!**

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**Chapter Name: Nante Utsukushii Hoshi**

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**Normal POV**

The night of the heist arrived quickly. It had been a slight issue convincing Ran and Kogoro to let him go when it was so late on a school night, but he managed. What mattered was that he got an apology from KID because of it; the full moon couldn't be controlled, after all.

"This heist isn't even in Beika and you're still here?!" Nakamori-keibu yelled over the sounds of excited KID fans screaming and chanting for the thief's success. An angry tick made itself visible on his temple.

Conan laughed nervously and held up the invite. "Shukatanai… right?" He shrugged, a smile frozen on his features.

Suzuki Star Hotel's security came out of the front doors at that point, and began to herd the fans and reporters outside the gates. Using this as a distraction, Conan slipped inside the building and away from Nakamori-keibu's angry speeches.

Police officers surrounded the lobby. _As expected, security is tight throughout the entire building. _Conan thought to himself. As he walked further inside and became visible, a sudden hush fell over the officer's chattering and they became still.

"The KID Killer came…?" He heard an officer whisper.

"This is all the way in Adachi, so why?"

Conan ignored them all, despite the gazes on him, and walked into the elevator across the room. He didn't breathe until he was inside, however. Sometimes, he wasn't sure how Division 2 felt about him. He couldn't tell if they only put up with him because of his work or not.

At the end of the day, it didn't really matter though. KID had _invited _him, and that was enough in and of itself. It was also a bit exciting.

_He went out of his way to drag me all the way out to Adachi with the Hakase watching me, so this better be a damn good heist. _He thought to himself, humming as the elevator took him to one of the top floors. Despite that, Conan had a feeling KID was thinking something along the same lines.

When he arrived on the floor where the Emerald Etude was being showcased, Conan stepped back and allowed the officers to their work, running checks and making sure that everyone was prepared for the thief's show.

The chibi tantei resisted the urge to cheat and find KID before the notice time using the Red Strings, partially because he refused to acknowledge that they connected in the first place, but mostly because he enjoyed a challenge. He leaned against the wall comfortably and waited the ten minutes until the start time.

"TWO MINUTES!" An officer shrieked loudly over the noise of the men chattering. Conan didn't usually watch the guards too much (he tried to attend the meeting right before the heist for planning), but he had noticed that whenever the two minute warning was sent out, all units would move into their final positions and preparations would stop. Conan thought it strange that they had to keep getting ready until the very last minutes, but in a way, it was also very commendable.

"ONE MINUTE!" Another voice called out, and Nakamori-keibu readied his megaphone.

The tension in the atmosphere was thick and seemed to weigh heavily on everyone's shoulders. Conan had involuntarily tensed up his muscles as his watch told him that there were 30 seconds left. It was dead silent, as if he were in a small, soundproof box. He couldn't hear anyone breathing, and not a single radio went off in the room as all the people anticipated the night's events, some hoping to finally catch KID and others wondering why they were even assigned to this division in the first place.

"Ten…" An officer next to Nakamori-keibu called out softly. The atmosphere became heavy enough to choke on it.

"Seven…" Conan touched his bowtie and watch, checking to make sure his weapons were ready.

"Four…"

The room tensed as two voices called out the next number, one the tense seriousness of the officer and and the other the cocky voice of certain thief. "Three…" The officer yelped.

"Two!" Just KID's voice echoed through the room, seeming to come from every direction at once. Conan stood erect and ready.

"One~!"

There was the sound of an explosion when smoke suddenly glided through the room, swallowing everything in it's path. Music began playing at a loud volume, and officers began yelling loudly.

When the smoke cleared, KID was standing in his favorite spot: on top of the show case.

"Gentlemen and child," He began in an elegant tone, laughing at the end of his sentence as he waved lightly to Conan. "It is with great pleasure that I perform this magic show for you tonight!"

"It's no good, Nakamori-keibu!" An officer yelled. "The radio channels are all blaring 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', as well as the hotel's PA system!"

KID laughed cockily before smirking his signature smirk and saying, "Correct~! I didn't want any interruptions before the show was over~!"

"GET HIM!" Nakamori-keibu screamed into the megaphone (as if it wasn't loud enough), pointing a finger at the thief.

Various colors exploded in the room as the thief waved a finger at the officers, still smirking. The first few officers and the keibu that had reacted to the order were tied together with a rope in the middle of the room. "Ah, ah~ I can't have you interrupting just yet, Keibu-san!" Suddenly his expression changed. "Unless… you and your friends were just volunteering? In that case, say something other than 'get him'!" The thief laughed heartily. "Let's begin!"

The lights shut off all at once when the magician snapped his fingers. Suzuki Star Hotel had its own little world on a bit of land, just enough to get them away from the city lights. The harvest moon, now tiger blood orange, was visible through the floor to ceiling windows behind KID.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star changed to a piano version on the speakers and radios and the volume was lowered a bit. "Here we go~!" KID sing-songed happily as two spotlights flashed on. One was on KID and the case, and the other on Nakamori-keibu and his officers.

"KID!" Nakamori-keibu roared as he bucked against the ropes, unknowingly hurting the other officers tied to him. An X of duct tape appeared over his mouth and the officers sighed with relief.

Conan returned his attention to KID with a sharp gaze as the magician began humming along to the song before grinning. "Three… Two… One!"

Suddenly the ceiling above came to life. Thousands of small, blue lights began glowing, very similar to fireflies. In the next second, KID raised his arms, as if he was going to hug someone, and the small lights fell slowly, like snow. He resumed his humming at the gasps of awe with a satisfied smirk. "Now for my volunteers~!" He sang, and a small smoke bomb went off around the officers.

"Now, I wonder where they all disappeared to?" KID questioned, tilting his head with his false wondering tone. "Hai, kimi~." He said, pointing to an officer as if this were a class and he were the teacher. The officer hadn't been raising his hand, so KID must be one of _those_ teachers.

"U-Uhh…" The officer stammered out as he struggled to come up with an answer. "I don't know…" He deflated.

"Thanks for trying," he nodded almost sympathetically as the stars continued to fall. "Next?" None of the officers moved. "Hmm, no one? Jaa, Tantei-kun?" The thief turned to his rival, who had been watching silently.

Conan met his eyes and smirk past the falling stars before his eyes darted around the room. "The ceiling?" He suggested. Ever since the heist had started, 'up' had been a reoccuring theme. Go up to the top floor. Look up to the moon. Look up at KID towering over everyone from his place on the case. Look up at the stars.

"Seikai~!" KID began applauding. A puff of smoke once more and a few more spotlights came on.

The room froze as several officers and Nakamori-keibu were lowered by ropes among the falling stars, just out of reach from the officers on the ground. Nakamori-keibu was dressed like a prima ballerina on a music box, strings holding him into an arabesque pose. His legs making a 90 angle and one arm reaching gently above his head. The other officers were dressed in bulky foam star costumes, all in gold or silver colors.

Conan couldn't help himself- he let out a snort in a lame attempt to smother his laughter behind his hands. Nakamori-keibu began screaming behind his tape. Conan's laughter seemed to set fire to the gasoline because the room erupted into various forms of laughter. Boisterous, nervous, "my sides hurt", "I'm gonna pee stop", "I can't stop laughing because the guy next to me is laughing", and finally "I can't even stand". Conan was in the last category, leaning on the wall with one hand supporting him and another over his mouth as he struggled to calm down.

But the image of the Keibu in a big, sparkly, and very very pink tutu matched with pale shimmering stockings, the proper leotard piece, and what looked like real ballet shoes kept flashing in his mind. Conan looked away and screwed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. He removed his glass and wiped his eyes before returning his attention to KID an- he was no longer on the case.

_He was no longer on the case._ The thought took a moment to process before he sucked in a breath and shouted. "KID's gone!"

The laughter stopped abruptly and the squad's attention was switched back to the stand.

"The emerald is gone!" An officer yelled in alarm.

_This calls for drastic measures. _Conan cupped his hands around his mouth after tinkering with his bowtie. "YOU FOOLS! AFTER HIM! GET ALL UNITS SEARCHING FOR THAT THIEF!" He called out in Nakamori's voice.

The men all scattered like teenagers at a party when caught, scampering through all the exits. The music stopped and the radios returned to normal. Conan swiped one off an officer as he ran past and used his bow tie to talk into the device. He stayed out of hearing range and sight from the men hanging from the ceiling. "Unit 1, activate the anti-KID security measures!"

"Unit 1, ryōkai!" Was the response. A siren began wailing and red lights flashed as metal shutters slammed down on all the outer exits and windows. The exit to the room was also sealed.

Conan stepped out of the shadows and looked up at the ceiling of the display room again. He cocked his head up at Nakamori-keibu.

"Done yet?" The faux child asked.

Nakamori-keibu nodded his head and in a poof of smoke, he disappeared off the rope and returned to his original costume, his top hat and mantel.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Nakamori-keibu" picked off his mustache gently, with one and holding the other side of his face.

"You want to hear from the beginning?" Conan smirked.

The thief looked around the room and shrugged. "Looks like I'm not going anywhere… so sure." He nodded with a grin before sitting on the floor indian style.

Conan pattered over to the thief and sat across from him, sitting the same way. The thief magicked playing cards and poker chips onto the floor between them with a grin. The detective rolled his eyes as the smirking idiot began dealing.

"I first noticed your presence when I got onto the elevator." Conan began as he scanned his hand with a smooth poker face.

"Acha!" KID slammed a hand to his forehead. "You really did notice, didn't you?"

"Atarimaida, barou." Conan deadpanned. "Nakamori-keibu _does _have 20 years worth of chasing KID, ya know? There's no way he would leave an elevator unguarded like that." The thief took note of how the child had said 'chasing KID' instead of 'chasing you' with slight discomfort.

"For it to be empty when the lobby was already guarded meant that you were in the middle of switching with the police officer in there when the elevator began moving due to my call. You rushed to hoist both yourself and the unconscious officer up on top of the elevator, which I know because there was a fresh shoe scuff mark on the elevator's support handles… people don't usually put their feet there."

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Tantei-kun?" KID said, playing a card.

"When I knew that you were going to hide as an inside man, it was obvious you were going to be in the display room before the notice time, waiting." Conan continued as he set a card down as well. "You switched with Nakamori-keibu later, so that you were on the ceiling the whole time."

"Eh~? How do you figure?" The Emerald Etude appeared among the poker chips, and the stakes rose higher.

Conan merely glanced at it before looking back at KID and then his hand. "Because you noticed his knee too." He replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Nakamori-keibu has been walking around with a slight limp all night. It's not very visible… in fact, it might just be old age or stress causing it, but knowing your personality, I knew you weren't going to force him to do ballet poses that could potentially aggravate it." The detective smiled genuinely. "Despite everything you put this squad through, you still take good care of everyone here."

KID grinned at his rival. "Wouldn't it have been easier if I had just switched his role to a star instead of the ballerina and let someone else fill in for him?"

Conan rolled his eyes. "You couldn't because all the other officers are dummies." He responded as he glanced up at the ceiling. He moved a few chips and the jewel closer to himself. "There's no way you didn't know about the security system here. You also knew I was going to set it off, meaning you didn't want anyone in here while we…" Conan was momentarily stumped.

"Faced off? Went head to head?" KID suggested with a smirk.

Conan blushed lightly out of embarrassment. The radio at his side suddenly began screaming much more loudly than it had been going this entire time. "KID has been spotted escaping by glider from the roof! He's heading east!"

The chibi-tantei grabbed the radio. "Send all helicopters and standby cars east!"

"Ryōkai!" Came several voices.

"Oi oi, first pick-pocketing and now helping an internationally wanted thief? I think you picked the wrong occupation, Tantei-kun." KID shook his head and laughed at him.

Conan's embarrassed blush grew heavier. "Sh-Shut up! I was just saying what Nakamori-keibu would have said if he was here now!"

"Hai, hai, whatever you say, Kaitou-kun." He teased, very much enjoying the redness crawling up the child's neck and coloring his cheeks.

"Oi!" Conan yelled sharply. He set a card down and picked up another one. "Anyway, when it became clear that you wanted to stay in here, I just followed along." He said, getting back to the conversation before the radio had interrupted them.

"What makes you think I wanted to stay here?" KID cocked his head to the side.

Conan tilted his head cutely as well (which KID grinned at because it meant that Conan's attention was completely centered on him) and replied, "Like I said earlier, there's no way you didn't know about the metal shutters. We both know that if you really wanted to, you could leave right now." Conan smirked and let his sentence hang in the air for a moment.

Suddenly, the room's entrance lifted and officers stormed in and surrounded the pair. "Oi oi, there's no way you that was a coincidence." KID deadpanned. "You planned some other things and timed that perfectly, didn't you?"

Conan shrugged. "'Send all helicopters and standby cars east' was actually code for 'surround the room you last saw Nakamori-keibu in'."

"So you knew I was going to disguise as Nakamori-keibu before all of this?" KID pouted. "And you knew my dummy was going to fly east because of the winds, right?"

"You've made picking the weakest officer to disguise as a habit, and yes." Conan answered as he set down card and picked up another. "When I heard that Nakamori-keibu had a limp this morning, but everyone else was in full health, I used Agasa-Hakase to ask if we could try the code."

KID let out a low whistle. "Nothing gets past you, Tantei-kun." He grinned. "Let's finish up, shall we? These officers are staring at me like a pack of hungry wolves." He let out a false shiver. Or a real one. Conan couldn't tell. "Four of a kind." KID set down his cards.

Conan set down his with a triumphant smirk. "Royal Flush." He purred lowly in his adult voice.

The thief shivered before sighing. "Kono shoubu is Tantei-kun's win. The Emerald Etude is yours." He shook his head. "But don't assume you'll have the lead for long." His smirk grew slightly with excitement and insanity. "Well." He looked up at the officers still surrounding the pair.

"Kaito KID! You are under arrest for several breaking and enterings and robbery!" An officer began.

KID interrupted with an irritated huff. "How rude. It's not breaking and entering if I never break anything. It's just entering." He pouted. "Either way, I don't really have time to play around with everyone anymore! We have to wrap this up quickly so _Conan-kun_ here can go to bed~!"

"Move, KID, and I will shoot." Conan said darkly, holding up his wristwatch. The crosshair was up and ready.

"Uwaa, I think I struck a nerve!" KID cried falsely as he threw his hands up. An officer behind him cuffed one hand before the thief closed his free hand into a fist. He opened it slowly until a bright pink ball appeared. "Gihi~!" He laughed before the group was blinded by a bright pink flash.

Everyone threw their hands over their eyes. "Kuso!" Conan bit out as he squinted against the light and looked for KID.

The thief appeared in front of him and Conan momentarily flashbacked to the April Fool's day they met on. "Let's play again when you can come up with better plans than this." He teased.

"Invite me again when you can come up with better notice riddles." Conan shot back heatedly.

KID chuckled. "Touchè." He said before disappearing, a single flower left behind. Conan now held both the pea flower and the Emerald Etude in his hands, surrounded by questions from the officers.

Let's just say that despite KID's efforts, Conan didn't get to go to bed as soon as he would have liked to.

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**OMAKE**

_This calls for drastic measures. _Conan cupped his hands around his mouth as a microphone. "KAITOU KID IS A FAKE MAGICIAN!"

Somewhere in the crowd, a voice responded with, "WhAt tHE FLYING FUCK DID YOu JusT SAY, YOu HOlmES FREAK?!"

"THERE HE IS! KID! GRAB HIM!"

**OWARI**

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a blast writing this heist, honestly! Please drop a review and tell me how I did! Also, please note I have absolutely no idea how to play poker, but I do know that the Royal Flush ranks above Four of a Kind so don't read into it too much. XD**

**Everlasting Pea: An appointed meeting, lasting pleasure**

**Thanks for reading~!**

**~Crescent T.**


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